Fifty households living in the building whose apartments suffered damage will be given compensation equal to three months' rent so they can move to other apartments, a spokesman for the Yingkou city government said Saturday.

"Although the final conclusion as to the cause of the accident is yet to be made, the government should meet the needs of residents first," he said.

The blast, believed to be triggered by a natural gas leak, occurred at 9:07 p.m. Wednesday in a six-story building near the railway station of Yingkou City in Liaoning Province.

The explosion killed five people and injured five others and also made the building dangerous to live in.

The injured people have been treated and released from hospital, the government spokesman said.

Architects have been called in to study whether the damaged building can be repaired or needs to be demolished and replaced, he said.