At least one dead after blast rips through German tower block

The cause of the explosion is not yet known

A damaged building is pictured after several people were injured in an explosion in an apartment block in the eastern German city of Blankenburg, December 13, 2019. REUTERS/Marvin Gaul. 

At least one person was killed and 25 were wounded after an explosion at a residential building in the eastern German town of Blankenburg on Friday, local police said.

The cause of the explosion, which was reported at 8.55am local time, is not yet known.

Emergency services were rushed to the scene on Friday morning to evacuate and tend to residents of the building, which was cordoned off.

Residents included children at a nearby kindergarten, the police tweeted, adding that none of them were hurt.

They said that several people were severely injured and everyone who should have been in the building was accounted for.