At least three people were killed and dozens injured in what appears to be a gas explosion at a restaurant that destroyed a busy street in a major Chinese city, according to state media. Xinhua News Agency reported that the incident occurred at around 08:20 local time in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province (northeast) bordering North Korea. Government television CCTV aired a video recorded from a vehicle showing a sudden explosion that blew out the facade of a building, followed by debris falling and a large cloud of gray smoke.
Additional footage broadcast by the station showed pedestrians in a street covered with debris from destroyed cars or buses and shattered windows, along with rows of fire trucks and rescuers in helmets. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, stated that rescuers had already found the bodies of three victims and more than thirty injured individuals.
Besides the restaurant where the explosion took place, residential buildings and shops are also visible in the affected street, according to Xinhua News Agency, raising concerns about potentially greater losses in the hours to come. Rescue operations were still ongoing Thursday afternoon (local time).
Provincial authorities indicated that preliminary investigations suggest the explosion likely occurred "in a commercial and residential building." China frequently experiences explosions and industrial accidents, particularly due to safety violations, according to AFP. A gas pipeline explosion in a residential area killed 25 people in June in Hubei Province (central China). Eight individuals were arrested for negligence, including the head of the company managing the gas line, due to "serious flaws" in infrastructure management.
