3 dead, 24 injured in building blast

Three people have been killed and another 24 were injured after an explosion hit a residential building in northeast China's Heilongjiang province Thursday morning, local authorities said.

The government of Jixi City said in a statement that many apartments were damaged after an explosion and a fire at a building in Longshan International Community at about 5:26 a.m..

One person died at the scene and another lost their life on the way to hospital. The third person died in hospital after treatment failed, the statement said.

Sixteen people were hospitalized and another eight are under medical observation, according to the government.

A natural gas leak may have contributed to the explosion, according to an initial investigation.