SHANGHAI - Three people died in a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) explosion inside a residential building in Shanghai on Thursday.

The explosion occurred in Xiaojiang village of the Qingpu district at 4:15 am, and it caused two apartments of the building to collapse.

Three people were rescued and sent to hospital, but later died after treatment failed.

A preliminary investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a liquefied petroleum gas leak.

Further investigation remains underway, police said.