BEIJING: At least 17 individuals sustained injuries following an explosion in a residential neighborhood of Shanxi province in northern China, which caused smoke to billow and glass to shatter in nearby buildings, according to reports from state media on Wednesday (Apr 30).
The explosion took place at approximately 5:17 AM GMT (1:17 PM Singapore time) in Taiyuan city, as stated by the state broadcaster CCTV, which did not specify the cause of the explosion.
Videos shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo, though not verified by Reuters, seemed to depict multiple vehicles ablaze outside a building, with thick smoke emanating from both the cars and some residential windows.
A total of 210 firefighters and 43 fire trucks were dispatched to the site, CCTV reported. The Ministry of Emergency Management in China sent a team to oversee rescue efforts and instructed rescuers to conduct thorough, floor-by-floor checks to determine if anyone was trapped inside the building.
This explosion occurred just a day after a restaurant fire in Liaoning province, in northeastern China, which resulted in the deaths of 22 people. President Xi Jinping labeled this incident “a deeply sobering lesson” and urged local authorities to take all necessary actions to avert significant safety disasters.
Authorities in Liaoning mentioned on Wednesday that the precise cause of the restaurant fire is still under investigation; however, they have eliminated the possibilities of a gas explosion or arson, according to CCTV.
Preliminary assessments indicate that victims confined in the restaurant likely succumbed to suffocation after inhaling substantial quantities of toxic fumes, as the fire rapidly spread through highly combustible furniture and decor, CCTV reported.
These recent occurrences follow a series of similar incidents across China in recent years. Earlier in April, a fire in a nursing home for the elderly in Hebei province claimed the lives of 20 individuals.
