Two people were killed, and three others injured after a gas pipeline blast in Shanghai early on Friday, local police said.

The blast occurred at about 4:30 a.m. on a road in the city's Jing'an District when five men were doing maintenance work on the gas pipeline, and police said they received an emergency call about the accident 15 minutes later.

One person died on the spot, and the 33-year-old man was from central Henan Province, police said.

Another man died of pulmonary injury after being sent to hospital. The other three were temporarily out of danger, doctors said.

The gas supply and traffic in the municipality were not affected by the accident, according to the police.

An investigation into the cause of the blast has been underway.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2008)