The death toll from the gas explosion that ravaged a residential complex in central China on Sunday (June 13th) rose to 25, state media reported on Monday (June 14th), as rescue operations continue.
Read also: Before the G7, China struggles to avoid being sidelined
Several buildings were damaged and around 100 people injured in the blast, which destroyed a two-story building and a busy market where traders and locals had breakfast on Sunday morning in Shiyan town, in Hubei province. The provincial information office said on Monday that the death toll was now 25, more than double the previous toll, according to the New China News Agency. About 2,000 rescuers have been deployed to the site and 900 people have been evacuated from surrounding buildings that threaten to collapse, the town hall said.
The explosion occurred in a building that previously housed a vehicle chassis manufacturer. Survivors said a gas leak was suspected after the plant was moved last year. “
In March, employees of the gas company came and asked me if I smelled gas,
” a survivor told the local Health Times website. "
After asking a few questions, they just left
."
Industrial accidents are relatively frequent in China, due to poor compliance with safety rules and corruption within the services supposed to ensure their proper application. The explosion came the day after eight people died after a toxic product leaked from a chemical plant in Guiyang, in the southwest.