Global Courant
BEIJING – At least 31 people have been killed in a gas leak at a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan, state media reported Thursday.
The blast occurred on the eve of the three-day holiday of the Dragon Boat Festival, when many in China head out to hang out with friends.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed more than a dozen firefighters working as smoke billowed from a gaping hole in the restaurant’s facade.
Shards of glass and other debris littered the darkened street, which is also home to a number of other eateries and entertainment venues.
Nine people, including the restaurant’s “owner, shareholders and staff”, were detained by police after the explosion, CCTV said, adding that “their assets have been frozen”.
“A leak of liquefied petroleum gas caused an explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant,” state news agency Xinhua said of Wednesday night’s blast, citing the Communist Party’s regional committee.
Seven more people received medical treatment, the agency said, all of whom were in “critical condition”.
Two others suffered serious burns, two had minor injuries and two had scratches caused by flying glass, Xinhua said.
High school students and retirees were among the victims, many of whom died as a result of suffocation, likely caused by smoke inhalation, the state-backed media outlet The Paper said, citing anonymous officials involved in the rescue effort.
The explosion occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday at Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in a residential area in central Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Autonomous Region.
Xi orders probe
Chinese President Xi Jinping “demands all efforts in the treatment of the injured and the strengthening of safety oversight and management in key industries and areas to effectively protect people’s lives and property,” Xinhua said on Thursday.
