Germany explosion: Blast in Wuppertal destroys building and leaves dozens of casualties

Four severely injured people were rescued from the house after the blast

An explosion has injured 25, four seriously, and destroyed a building in the German city of Wuppertal.

Neighbours ran out into the street in a panic after the house was rocked by the blast shortly before midnight on Saturday.

Fire broke out as the house collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the row of apartments and debris piled in the street and on top of a nearby car.

Four severely injured people were rescued and another 21 people were treated for injuries by emergency staff at the scene in the Langerfeld district.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the explosion and would not comment when asked if the explosion could possibly be terror-related.

Debris was strewn over the street and a nearby parked car after the explosion (AP)

“The work is made more difficult by the fact that the building is currently in acute danger of collapse,” said a police spokesman.

“How this came to pass and what the background is, that remains completely unclear.”

Search dogs were brought to the scene to look through the wreckage for survivors.

The fire department said later on Sunday morning that rescued residents had confirmed there was no one else in the house.

“Now that human rescue has been completed, we’re trying to keep the situation around the building stable,” said a fire department spokesman.

Specialists were brought in to systematically demolish the house because of the high risk of further collapse.

On Sunday evening investigators said they were consulting an expert on the causes of the fire and explosion but stated that no further information could be provided.

Five people remain in hospital including three with serious injuries, according to a police statement.

Authorities have brought in heavy equipment to tear down the remains of the ruin. They said it was too dangerous for investigators to search for evidence that might reveal the explosion’s cause because the destroyed building could collapse at any time.

Additional reporting by AP