A series of gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 25 people and injured 267 others, officials say.

The blasts rocked the city's Cianjhen district, scattering cars and blowing deep trenches in roads.

The exact cause of the gas leaks is not clear, but reports say the blasts were caused by ruptured pipelines.

Images of the scene showed major fires, upturned vehicles, bodies covered in debris and streets split in two.

The explosions split roads in two and threw vehicles into the air

The explosions happened late on Thursday night, with witnesses reporting huge fireballs soaring into the air.

Taiwan's premier said there were at least five blasts.

Four firefighters who were investigating reports of a gas leak were said to be among the dead.

People in the area were evacuated to schools as teams battled the blazes. By Friday morning most fires were reported to have been extinguished.

Firefighters were still trying to see if people were trapped under the rubble, the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei reported.

The exact cause of the blasts had not yet been identified but several petrochemical companies had pipelines running along the sewage system in the district, our correspondent added

(Source: BBC)