Explosion
© ZhangZhulin / Twitter
An explosion has ripped through a town in Fugu County, Shaanxi province in northwestern China, resulting in multiple injuries and severe damage to local infrastructure, according to local media.

The blast occurred on Monday at about 2pm local time (06:00 GMT) near a hospital in Xinmin Township, according to the China Daily.

The incident "might be related to unlicensed storage of explosives," the local Huashang newspaper cited local residents as saying. This has not been officially confirmed.

Blast
© Weibo
The building entirely collapsed following the blast, images posted on the social networks Weibo and Twitter showed.

A nearby hospital building and other structures as well as cars were also been badly damaged, with shattered glass and debris scattered all over the street.

Blast
© Weibo
There are no figures as yet regarding the number of injured, but CCTV News said "casualties" were reported.

It is believed that many people sustained injuries as locals rushed to Weibo website, a Chinese version of Twitter, posting pictures and videos of people covered in blood and ruined buildings.

Some pictures show people with what appear to be head wounds and at least one person lying motionless on the street.

Police and emergency services have launched a rescue operation.
Blast
© Weibo
Blast
© Weibo
Blast
© Weibo