Germany: Explosion in Wuppertal leaves 25 injured

Twenty-five people were injured, four of them severely, when an explosion destroyed an apartment building in the western German city of Wuppertal, police said on Sunday.

Police said the explosion rocked the several-story building shortly before midnight on Saturday with a large noise, scaring people in surrounding homes so much they ran out into the street in a panic.

Fire broke out in several different parts of the house and firefighters had trouble dousing the flames because parts of the building kept collapsing.

Four severely injured people were rescued from inside the building and sent them to the hospital. Another 21 people were treated for injuries by emergency staff at the scene in the Langerfeld district.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear.

Police said they were still trying to get the fire under control. They were investigating the cause of the explosion.

(With inputs from agencies)