NANCHANG - Three people died and one other was injured after a natural gas pipeline in a residential building exploded Thursday afternoon in east China's Jiangxi Province, local authorities said.

The explosion occurred at about 1:30 p.m. in an eight-floor building in Nanchang City, the provincial capital, according to rescue workers at the site.

The explosion caused the building to collapse, and the number of people buried underneath is not immediately known.

More than 50 firefighters have been working at the site in the hope of saving more lives.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.