International Desk, 21 June: As many as 31 people were dead and seven others were injured after a large cooking gas explosion in a barbecue restaurant in northwest China, according to official media on Thursday.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the explosion took place at around 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday on a popular thoroughfare in the Xingqing District of Yinchuan as a result of an LPG leak from a barbecue restaurant’s kitchen.
According to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regional Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the explosion caused 38 fatalities of which 31 were confirmed dead. Seven other victims, one of whom is in critical condition are currently receiving medical care.
The explosion occurred on the night before China’s Dragon Boat festival which starts on Thursday and lasts for two days. According to reports, the eatery was crowded during the holidays. The buildings nearby were severely damaged by the explosion.
Following an accident at a BBQ restaurant in Yinchuan, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate rescue effort, medical attention for the injured and a safety review.
For the purpose of directing the rescue effort, a combined work team made up of representatives from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Emergency Management was sent to the location. The collaborative work team sent four medical professionals to the location to provide emergency medical care.
According to Xinhua report, the local rescue squad sent 102 people and 20 vehicles to the location and attempts to save people early on Thursday.
The Hui Muslims of China reside in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. About 20 million Muslims live in China, the majority of them are Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking people and Hui Muslims who are Chinese-speaking people.