Deadly blast at barbecue restaurant in China

The blast — which exploded on Wednesday, the eve of China’s Dragon Boat Festival — was caused by a leak of liquefied petroleum gas from a cooking unit, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The explosion ripped through the Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in a residential area of downtown Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia autonomous region, killing 31 people.

It’s believed high school students and elderly patrons are among the dead.

The seven people who were injured were still undergoing treatment for burns and cuts from broken glass, Xinhua reported on Thursday.

An eyewitness referred to as Ms Chen said she was some 50 metres away from the site of the explosion when she heard a loud blast, according to online news site The Paper.

She said she saw two waiters emerging out of the restaurant soon after the explosion and one of them collapsed immediately.

A strong smell of cooking gas permeated the area, she added.

Shocking footage aired by state broadcasters showed dozens of firefighters working to put out the blaze as smoke billowed out from the front of the restaurant.

Other clips showed shattered glass littering the road.

A search and rescue operation was completed in the early hours of Thursday morning and investigators were sent to determine the cause of the blast, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management.

The ministry said a team of more than 100 people and 20 vehicles were dispatched to the scene.

The explosion prompted Chinese president Xi Jinping to order a countrywide safety overhaul, calling for regions to rectify “hidden dangers”, as Chinese social media sites exploded with concern over lax workplace health and safety.

“All barbecue shops in the country should be shut down and rectified,” a Chinese social media user wrote on Weibo.

“Profits should not be earned with the blood of the people.”