1 dead, 3 injured in Heilongjiang residential community explosion

One person was confirmed dead and three were injured in an explosion in a residential community in the Xiangfang district of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The blast, which occurred at around 7 am, severely damaged a balcony on the fourth floor of the building, and several nearby balconies showed varying degrees of damage, the report said.

A preliminary investigation found that the explosion may have been caused by residents who apparently left a gas cylinder open. That led to a flash explosion when they lit a gas appliance the next morning.

Emergency management and housing departments were at the site to handle the situation in the aftermath.