7 killed, 25 hurt in gas explosion in Bangladesh

Dhaka - At least seven people were killed and eight injured on Sunday after a gas pipeline exploded in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, a police official said.

The gas pipeline exploded in front of a five-storey building, blowing walls off the building, local police official Mohammad Mohsin said, citing witnesses.

The injured have been taken to hospital, he said, adding a rescue operation was under way.

The explosion at Patharghata area in Chittagong district collapsed portions of a boundary wall of a nearby building, local police chief Mohammed Mohsin said.

He said at least 25 people were hospitalized and firefighters joined the rescue operation.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion. News reports said the road in front of the explosion site was busy with people and tricycle rickshaws. A boundary wall fell on the people on the road.

The explosion took place when residents were preparing for the day's work in the morning, Mohsin said.

Chittagong is 216 kilometers (134 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka.