25 injured in explosion in apartment building in Germany

At least 25 people sustained injuries after a powerful explosion rocked a multi-storey building in Germany's eastern town of Blankenburg on Friday morning, authorities said.

The explosion occurred inside a five-storey residential block in Blankenburg, which is home to some 22,000 people, Russia Today reported, citing local media reports.

As many as 160 rescue workers are at the scene of the incident. Helicopters have been dispatched to airlift the injured to hospital.

The building has been evacuated, as were a school and a kindergarten in the vicinity.

Further details are awaited.