BEIJING – At least 31 people have been killed and seven others injured in a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China.
The blast ripped through the restaurant on Wednesday night on a busy street in a residential area of Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people gathered to celebrate the three-day holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
It said seven more people had been shifted to hospital for treatment and they are in a critical condition. Two others sustained minor injuries in the incidents after they received scratches caused by flying glass.
Videos showed more than a dozen firefighters working at the site as smoke clouds billowed from the restaurant.
The state media said that rescue operation was wrapped up by 4am on Thursday (20:00 GMT on Wednesday).
