8 killed, 4 hurt in building explosion in Heilongjiang

Eight people were confirmed dead and four injured in an explosion at an office building in Dongning, a county-level city in Heilongjiang province, on Wednesday, according to the local government.

The two-story building, part of which collapsed due to the explosion which occurred around 7:50 am on Wednesday, houses Huasheng Commercial and Trading Co Ltd.

After preliminary investigations, it was determined that the accident was caused by illegal manufacture and storage of explosives by the legal representative of the company, authorities said.

Rescue teams, comprised of people from public security, medical and firefighting departments, immediately arrived at the site after the accident and helped the trapped individuals.

As of 8 pm on Wednesday, all the rescue work had been completed and the injured had been sent to the hospital.