A gas explosion tore through a barbecue restaurant in northwest China has killed at least 31 people, officials said on ThursdayA few hours later the explosion turned the restaurant into rubble.
The explosion happened at the two-story restaurant in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia region, at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, when the restaurant was busy with diners eating grilled lamb and other dishes. Cooked on a gas stove. Firefighters rushed to the scene, where thick smoke rose into the sky and broken glass and splinters covered the street. They put out the fire within an hour.
The extent of the deaths became known to the public only the next morning, when authorities announced the death toll and seven others were hospitalized with injuries, one in critical condition.
The Chinese Communist Party government has proven increasingly effective at withholding details of accidents and disasters until they have fully brought the situation under control. ONE Brief initial report from Xinhua News Agency, the official news agency, said one person was killed and 20 were injured. It did not mention the possibility of more deaths.
On Thursday, the officials in Ningxia promised a thorough investigation into the explosion and announced a campaign to improve safety. China’s Supreme Leader, Xi Jinping, issue a statement condolences, as he usually does after major accidents. Xi noted that the explosion happened on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwujie, a traditional Chinese holiday. “Pay attention to potential, emerging risks and conduct comprehensive safety checks,” he said.
Deadly explosion likely to lead to closer Chinese surveillance barbecue restaurant boom industry. Overall, China’s safety record at mines and construction sites has improved, according to official statistics, and local governments often require inspections of restaurants and their gas supplies. But serious accidents still exist.
In late 2021, an explosion in a barbecue restaurant in Shenyang, northeast China, kill five people. Earlier this month, a news website about China’s catering industry count the last 11 gas explosions in restaurants as of June 2022, some of which are lethal.
A full official account of the cause of the latest crash could take weeks or months. But Xinhua News Agency, citing police and fire department records, said restaurant workers remembered detecting a gas leak about an hour before the explosion and traced it to a faulty valve. The explosion occurred while the valve was being replaced. The two phone numbers registered under the restaurant’s name are out of service.
Then on Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported that the restaurant operator and eight other employees or shareholders in the business were controlled by the police (a euphemism that often means detention) and their assets were frozen. Government agencies are still trying to identify those killed, the report said.
