One person was injured after a four-storey residential building in Shanghai exploded and collapsed on Wednesday night.

The South China Morning Post reported that the incident occurred at around 9 p.m. in a second floor flat along Kongjiang road in Yangpu district, Shanghai.

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The walls of the second and third floors reportedly collapsed following the explosion, leaving one person trapped under the debris.

The male victim was rescued from the tragic incident and rushed to hospital. After thorough assessment, his injuries were declared "non-life-threatening."

A statement issued by government officials cited a natural gas leak as the cause of the tragic Wednesday night incident.

Meanwhile, residents in the area recalled of hearing a loud bang. One resident who lives at the bottom of the building explained that she had been preparing to sleep when the incident occurred.

"When the debris started to fall, I wore my husband's trousers and ran outside to escape," she said.

GB Times reported that an old couple and their grandson were lucky to escape the incident and sustain very minor injuries.

Police officials have blocked any entrance close to the scene. While affected victims were temporarily relocated to a nearby hotel.

Residential buildings collapsing are not quite as common in China as compared with industrial buildings.

Last week, 12 construction workers perished in Henan province after a gas leak led to an explosion at the Dengfeng City colliery. 

Tagschina, Shanghai, Building Collapse