At least 31 people were killed when an explosion blasted through a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan.
The regional Communist Party committee said, “A leak of liquefied petroleum gas… caused an explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant”.
As per the report, seven more persons were undergoing medical treatment, one of them was in critical condition.
Two people received serious burns, two received mild injuries, and two got scrapes from flying glass.
CCTV footage showed more than a dozen firefighters working on the scene as smoke streamed out of a big hole in the restaurant’s facade.
Glass shards and other debris filled the darkened street, which also houses a number of other restaurants and entertainment venues.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at about 8:40 pm at the Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in a residential area of downtown Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia autonomous province.
It happened on the eve of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival vacation when Chinese people go out to socialize with their friends.
Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded all-out efforts in treating the wounded and strengthening safety supervision and management in key industries and fields to effectively protect people’s lives and property.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, more than 100 people and 20 vehicles were dispatched to the location in the aftermath of the blast.
“Local authorities immediately… demanded that all-out search and rescue efforts be organized, the wounded be properly treated and casualties be reduced as much as possible”, the ministry continued.
“The rescue efforts were completed by 4:00 am on Thursday”, the ministry added.
Also read: Myanmar Experiences Its Third Quake Of Magnitude 4.5
