One dead, around 15 injured after suspected gas explosion in German town

An explosion in an apartment building has left one man dead and around 15 people injured in the German town of Blankenburg, police said.

The man who died was a 78-year-old tenant in whose flat the explosion is believed to have occurred. Emergency responders found several liquid gas bottles and heating devices that use gas in the flat, as well as ammunition, according to police.

The explosion may have been caused by one of the gas bottles. The apartment building was not connected to gas for heating, according to Mayor Heiko Breithaupt.

There were no indications that explosives were in the house, police representative Frank Goetze told journalists.

Police had initially said that at least 25 people were injured, but later revised that number. One of the victims was seriously injured with burns, Breithaupt said. Three emergency responders suffered from smoke inhalation.

The large explosion happened shortly before 9am in the building on the edges of the central German town, which is located near the Harz Mountains.