Three killed in Shijiazhuang building collapse

Three people were killed and one other was injured when part of a residential building collapsed in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, on Wednesday morning.

Shortly before 6 am, two apartments on one unit of a four-story residential building partially collapsed in the Xinhua district of the city, according to a statement from the district's emergency management bureau. Police, firefighters, housing and urban-rural development personnel and emergency responders were dispatched to the scene.

Four people were living in the two apartments, three of whom died despite emergency treatment, while the other is reported to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Five residents living nearby were also treated in hospital but have since been discharged.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a gas leak may have caused an explosion that led to the collapse. Residents of the affected building and neighboring units have been provided temporary accommodation while investigations continue.