Several injured in gas explosion in southern Germany

Authorites say several people have been injured in a gas explosion in or near a building in the southern German town of Memmingen

Germany Explosion ((c) Copyright 2021, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Several people were injured in a gas explosion Friday in or near a building in the southern German town of Memmingen.

The explosion occurred at about 6 a.m. and damaged the building used by the Bavarian Red Cross, which also had apartments above, authorities told the dpa news agency

All five injured worked for the Red Cross, authorities said.

“From the size of the explosion we're just lucky that there aren't any dead,” Red Cross official Wilhelm Lehner told dpa.

The source of the explosion was a defective gas line that ran under the street in front of the building, dpa reported.

The building was seriously damaged, police said.