German authorities in the eastern town of Halle said there had been a major explosion caused by natural gas today that caused extensive damage to several apartment buildings near the town centre.
A spokesman for the Halle fire brigade said the explosion damaged buildings in a 400-square metre area. He said there were many people injured but had no further details.
"It was a natural gas explosion," the spokesman said. Halle is about 160 kilometres south of Berlin. Germany's N24 television network quoted an eyewitness saying: "It looks like a bomb hit here."
The all-news network said that up to 30 cars had also been damaged by the blast.