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At least 12 killed, more than 130 injured in a gas explosion at central China market

At least 12 killed, more than 130 injured in a gas explosion at central China market

Chinese market gas blast kills 12

  • The explosion at a market in Shiyan in Hubei province on Sunday morning injured more than 130 people
  • Accident follows death of eight people in a chemical leak in Guizhou province the previous day

A gas blast at a market in central China has killed at least 12 and seriously injured another 37, China Central Television reported on Sunday.

The explosion took place at about 6.30am at the Yanhu market in Shiyan, a city in Hubei province, when many residents were having breakfast or buying vegetables in the market, according to the report. A total of 150 people were rescued and 138 were injured, the report added.

It was the latest serious accident in China that caused multiple deaths. A chemical leak on Saturday killed at least eight people and injured another three in Guiyang, the capital of the southern province of Guizhou, on Saturday.

A notice issued by the Shiyan government said it was looking into the cause of the blast. 

An initial investigation concluded that the blast was caused by a gas pipeline, according to cqcb.com, a news portal run by the Chongqing government.

Rescuers search the rubble after the blast. Photo: Xinhua

Video footage published on the online news portal Btime.com showed the market had been destroyed, with almost all the windows and doors in the two-storey building shattered and the streets filled with rubble.

The ground floor was occupied by food stalls while the second floor contained residential flats. A gas pipeline ran beneath the building.

Rescuers were shown at the scene working to free survivors while residents responded to an urgent call to give blood at a local blood bank. 

A local trader told Beijing Youth Daily that she was woken up by the blast which was only 100 metres (330 feet) away from her shop.

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“After hearing the blast, I immediately checked on my shop and found many windows were shattered but thankfully not many goods were damaged,” the woman said. 

“Blood was splattered across the rubble, some people were covered in blood after being cut by broken glass.” 

Another witness identified by his surname Li told Shangyounews, an online news portal, that he was knocked over by the blast and hit by falling debris, but had to take a cab to get to hospital.

“Last March, inspectors from a [local] gas company came to inquire about my shop and asked if I had smelt any natural gas leakage. I said no and they left after the inspection,” Li said.

Around 150 people were rescued from the site. Photo: Xinhua

An emergency response task force has been set up to handle rescue work and more than 173 firefighters were sent to the site.

A local sports stadium has been temporarily assigned to host affected local residents.



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