Gas blast causes fire at luxury apartments in Chinese city of Shenzhen

A gas blast at a luxury apartment in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen caused a major fire that spread to several floors in the complex on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency crews raced to the scene to evacuate residents and tackle the blaze.

Casualty numbers remain unknown but medical personnel have confirmed that at least one person had fallen from the building.

Eyewitnesses said she had appeared to have fallen after losing consciousness in a harrowing scene captured on video.

Rescue teams began evacuating residents through a platform on the fifth floor, which provides access to the residential areas.

By late afternoon, they had searched floors 5 through to 41, successfully evacuating four residents, all of whom were conscious and stable.

The fire started on the 28th floor of Shenzhen Bay Yuefu Phase II, one of the city’s most exclusive addresses, at around 3pm.