NANJING - One person was killed and four others were injured in an explosion that occurred Tuesday morning at a university in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, university sources said.

The explosion occurred at 9 am in a disused laboratory at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, destroying the lab and shattering windows in nearby homes, according to the municipal fire department.

The university said the explosion occurred while the lab was being demolished by a construction crew.

Rescue efforts are under way and the cause of the explosion is being investigated, local police said.

Firefighters rescue a construction worker buried in a blast on Tuesday at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province. The explosion, which took place at around 9 am in a laboratory, caused the building to collapse, burying three construction workers in the rubble. One person was killed and four others were injured. [Photo provided for China Daily]