One person died after a chemical explosion rocked a laboratory at a top Chinese university today.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the Ho Tim building at Tsinghua University in the capital Beijing early this morning, reported The People’s Daily Online.

Local fire department confirmed a lab researcher had been killed in the fire. The building was immediately evacuated and the fire was put out.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing out of the building after the explosion in Tsinghua university today

This is the blackened Tsinghua University building after the explosion that left one dead in Beijing, China

The victim was reported to be a postdoctoral researcher who was working in the lab at that time. The identity of the researcher is yet to be released.

Video footage taken at the scene of the blast shows thick black smoke billowing out of the three-storey red bricked building.

Students were seen standing outside the blackened building wearing masks after the fire.

Local authorities are investigating the cause of the incident now the fire has been extinguished.

Tsinghua University is one of China's leading institutions, renowned for its academic excellence and international partnerships.

MailOnline has contacted the university for a comment and is waiting for a response.

Students and staff were immediately evacuated from Tsinghua University after an explosion in a laboratory

Students were pictured wearing anti-smog masks outside the building where one person died in an explosion