June 21, 2023, 10:45 PM
June 21, 2023, 10:45 PM
At least 31 people died in an explosion at a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan, state media reported on Thursday.
“A liquefied petroleum gas leak (…) caused an explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant,” the state news agency Xinhua said about the explosion that occurred on Wednesday.
He added that seven people “receive rescue care” and one of them is in “critical condition.”
Two people suffered severe burns.two others had minor injuries and two had scratches caused by glass, Xinhua said.
Images from the state CCTV network showed more than a dozen firefighters working on the site, where smoke was emanating from a hole in the building’s façade.
Glass shards and other debris littered the streetwhere other restaurants and entertainment venues operate.
The explosion occurred at around 8:40 p.m. (1240 GMT) on Wednesday at the Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant, in a residential area in the center of Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Autonomous Region.
The accident occurred on the eve of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, when many in China go out to socialize with friends.