China’s president ordered a national safety campaign on Thursday after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 people and injured seven others on the eve of a long holiday weekend.
The blast tore through the restaurant at around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday on a busy street in Yinchuan. The capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people gathered ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The explosion left many people unconscious and they needed to carried out of the shop, according to the online news site.
The Paper, which quoted a member of the search and rescue team. Victims included elderly people and high school students, it said
An hour before the explosion, employees noticed the smell of cooking gas. And thus discovered that a gas tank valve broken, according to Xinhua.
The blast occurred while an employee was replacing the valve.
Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded urgent medical care for the injured and a safety overhaul after the explosion, Xinhua said.
He urged efforts to quickly determine the cause of the accident and hold people accountable under the law.
Nine people have detained by authorities.
Thus, including the owner of the restaurant, shareholders and employees.
Their assets have also frozen, according to Xinhua.
The blast happened at an outlet of Fuyang Barbecue, a chain restaurant in Yinchuan popular for its grilled skewers and stir-fried dishes.
The Paper said. The two-floor restaurant could seat 20 people on the ground floor and offered private dining rooms on the second floor where customers could also sing karaoke