At least two persons were killed and 17 others injured after an explosion rocked a residential building in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, local officials said.
Police in the province's Jixi City said they received a report that an explosion took place at a building in Longshan International Community.
One person was killed on the spot and another died on the way to the hospital.
A number of apartments were also damaged in the explosion, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
A natural gas leak probably contributed to the explosion, according to an initial investigation by rescuers.
The fire has been extinguished, and rescue work is under way. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
