China gas blast toll rises to 25

Beijing, June 15: The death toll from a powerful gas explosion in central China’s Hubei province has more than doubled to 25, according to the local authorities. The explosion ripped through a residential neighbourhood in Zhangwan district of Shiyan city on Sunday, killing at least 12 people and trapping a large number of people under the rubble of their homes.

The blast rocked a twostorey trade market building in a residential community. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported on late Monday night that the death toll has risen to 25. Rescue and debris cleaning are still underway, the information office of the provincial government of Hubei told the media. A team has been set up to investigate the blast, and Hubei will launch a province-wide blanket inspection to root out potential work safety hazards, said Shi Zheng, the head of the provincial emergency management department.

The Chinese government has ordered an inspection of all commercial and domestic gas pipelines. Chinese President Xi Jinping had called for a thorough probe into the cause of the blast and ordered to rescue the injured. “In light of numerous accidents at companies and on campuses, all must work together to shoulder their responsibilities, strengthen their political comprehension and root out the causes of such hazards,” Xi had said.

Gas explosions occur in various parts of China every year. The worst being the 2015 explosions in Tianjin port in which 173 people were killed and hundreds injured. Sunday’s explosion came a day after eight people died and three were injured when toxic methyl formate leaked from a vehicle at a chemical handling facility in Guiyang.