scene of a blast in a sports center

An explosion hit a sports center in the southern Belgian city of Chimay early Friday, killing one person and injuring four others.

Parts of the building at the "Le Chalon" sports center was destroyed by the blast, which occurred shortly after midnight. Pieces of broken glasses could be seen dozens of meters from the building.

The deceased victim is a man in his forties, said emergency services spokesman Michel Mean. The two seriously injured have been transported to different hospitals.

For now, the cause of the explosion is still undetermined. "The building is not supplied by mains gas," said the spokesman, "Bottles were found on site, but for now, we do not have evidence to determine the cause of the accident."

Chimay is about 110 km south of the Belgian capital Brussels and close to the French border.

Source : XINHUA