Seven tenants in an apartment were hospitalized after a suspicious gas leak in Shanghai, Xinmin Evening Post reported on Tuesday.

The tenants, who live in a 100-square-meter apartment with 26 other tenants, called the police after complaining of dizziness around 1 am on Tuesday.

A preliminary investigation indicated that a pipe in the gas water heater had fallen off, causing the gas leak, according to police.

None of the tenants were seriously injured.

The apartment, rented by a trade company for using as its employees' dormitory, is located in Shanghai's Jing'an district. The apartment is divided into smaller rooms.

Shanghai published a regulation on leasing apartments in August 2007 that targets group co-inhabitants. The provision said the average living space in rentals should be at least 5 sq meter per person; the minimum leasing unit is one room; and the original structure of the house should not be altered.

But group renting is still popular among the city's low-income residents. Skyrocketing housing prices in China's major cities are pushing new arrivals to share overcrowded living spaces or to live in basements.

wuni@chinadaily.com.cn