China: Gas Explosion In Hubei Province Claims 12 Lives, 138 Others Injured; Rescue Ops Underway

The rescue personnel, who arrived soon after the explosion, are carrying on with the rescue operations with the injured being shifted at local hospitals for treatment.

Image: PTI

Hubei: At least 12 people were killed and 138 others injured in a gas explosion, which ripped through a residential community in Shiyan of China’s Hubei province on Sunday.

The rescue personnel, who arrived soon after the explosion, are carrying on with the rescue operations with the injured being shifted at local hospitals for treatment.

Besides, investigations with regard to the explosion are still on.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a working team to Shiyan to guide the rescue work. The cause of the blast is still under investigation, Global Times reported a local official spokesperson as saying.

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The explosion, which took place at around 6 a.m. at the community, reportedly destroyed the wet market there and greatly affected residents in nearby buildings.

Over 900 households close to the explosion site have been evacuated post the untoward incident.

The two-story building market has 19 shops on the first floor and a community activity room on the second floor while there are another 46 stalls across the road from the building, Global Times reported a press release issued by the Shiyan government as saying.