CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Six people have been injured and a house was severely damaged in a gas explosion in northern Christchurch where local residents were shocked by a loud bang and flying debris on Friday morning.
Police and emergency services have blocked off the affected area in Northwood, a suburb of Christchurch. The injured were rushed to the hospital.
Neighbors said they were frightened by the big explosion and saw "all the dust in the air" and debris everywhere.
A person wrote online, "I thought it was a small quake as there was the noise and then a rattle."
Teachers at a nearby preschool were alarmed by the explosion, saying the kids were fine.
Local Christchurch residents reported on social media Wechat and facebook that they heard the big sound all over the city and said their houses "shook violently."
However, on hearing the loud bang, some people expressed worries of gunshots as the city is still recovering from the trauma of New Zealand's deadliest terrorist attacks in history which killed 51 people on March 15 by a gunman in two Christchurch mosques. Enditem
