An explosion reportedly killed at least two children and injured eight people early Wednesday morning at a scrap warehouse in the northern province of Bac Ninh’s Quan Do Village in Yen Phong District.

The scene of the explosion occurs on Wednesday morning in the northern Bac Ninh Province’s Quan Do Village. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

The dead victims are a one-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

The explosion also led to the collapse of four nearby houses, burying many people who were asleep, and damaged dozens of other houses. Following the explosion, a huge hole -- 4m in width and 20m in length, appeared at the scene.

A witness who lives some 1km from the scene of the explosion said “I heard the loudest-ever bang at about 4am this morning.”

Nearby houses are damaged due to the explosion. 

To Thi Mai Hoa, head of the provincial Department of Health, said a seriously-injured person was taken to Hanoi's Vietnam-Germany Hospital while the others were being treated at Bac Ninh General Hospital.

The department had dispatched a team and an ambulance to the scene to provide first aid to the victims, she said.

Nguyen Tu Quynh, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the local police are quickly investigating the cause of the explosion.

“If any sign of regulations being violated is found, the police will prosecute the case,” he said. — VNS