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German police evacuate apartment building after deadly explosion

By Clyde Hughes
Smoke rises from the windows of an apartment building in Blankenburg, Germany, on Friday after an explosion killed a man living inside. Photo by Magdeburg Police/Twitter
Smoke rises from the windows of an apartment building in Blankenburg, Germany, on Friday after an explosion killed a man living inside. Photo by Magdeburg Police/Twitter

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- One person was killed Friday in an explosion at a German apartment building where gas canisters and decades-old ammunition had been stored, officials said.

The explosion occurred in Blankenburg in central Germany, about 60 miles southeast of Hanover.

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Authorities said the blast killed a 78-year-old man and seriously injured more than two dozen people. They evacuated the rest of the building as a precaution, Magdeburg Police said.

Police said the explosion demolished the balcony of the apartment at the center of the blast, along with several nearby vehicles.

Investigators said they found a stockpile of World War II-era ammunition and liquid gas containers inside the man's apartment, and believe they were responsible for the explosion.

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