China’s Xi orders national safety campaign after BBQ restaurant blast kills 31
Global News
The blast tore through the restaurant on a busy street in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people gathered ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival.
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 be 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 discovered that a gas tank valve was 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.
Xi also said all regions and related departments should address “all types of risks and hidden dangers” and launch campaigns to promote workplace safety.
At a news conference Thursday, the deputy party chief of Yinchuan apologized to all people in the city, according to the news site Huanqiu.com. Before the news conference began, participants bowed their heads in silence.
Nine people have been detained by authorities, including the owner of the restaurant, shareholders and employees. Their assets have also been frozen, according to Xinhua.
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