At least 25 people have been injured, several seriously, after a huge explosion rocked a multi-story apartment block in a western German city. Photos on social media show plumes of smoke and piles of rubble.

The incident took place in the city of Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia shortly before midnight Saturday, police said in a statement, adding that firefighters arrived at the scene to find the building “almost completely destroyed.”

Large parts of the facade of the residential block collapsed on the street, and small fires broke out inside.

Firefighters had trouble battling the flames as parts of the building kept collapsing.

According to police estimates from Sunday morning, 25 people were injured, four seriously.

No information has been released on the cause of the explosion, police said, adding that they have launched an investigation into the case.

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