At least two dead in explosion in basement of Saguenay home

At least two people have died in an explosion Monday in a home in the Quebec town of Jonquiere, near Lac-St-Jean.

The cause of the 10 a.m. explosion is still unclear, said Hughes Beaulieu from Quebec provincial police.

He also simply said there had been "deaths" in the incident and couldn't confirm how many people exactly police believe died. 

The explosion happened in the basement of the home, which is on Dubose St. in the neighbourhood of Arvida, Beaulieu said. He said he believes it's rented to tenants.

Neighbours told Radio-Canada that the windows of the basement were blown out and that a loud "boom" was heard in the neighourhood at the time.

Police weren't able to say whether they believe adults or children died. A coroner is on the way to the site as of Monday afternoon.

Two techinicians specialized in explosives are on the scene to make sure it's safe for others to enter the building. After they leave, police investigators will take over to try to determine what caused the explosion.

"We have to put all theories on the table," said a police spokesperson arriving on the scene.

This is a developing story that will be updated.