HOHHOT (Inner Mongolia) • At least five people have been killed after a powerful explosion ripped through an apartment building in China.

Last Saturday's blast in Inner Mongolia's Baotou City destroyed more than 80 homes and injured 25 people, Xinhua news agency reported. Around 250 people have been evacuated.

The blast was so powerful that it led to the collapse of one of the three connecting blocks of the apartment building.

Window panes of many nearby buildings were shattered.

Rescuers combing the rubble found two more bodies yesterday as they wrapped up the search, bringing the death toll to five.

The government said the cause is still being investigated.

Earlier reports indicated that the explosion might have been caused by a leak in the residential natural gas piping system.