Huge Explosion Kills 10, Injuries 147 In China
MEP: At least 10 people have been killed and 147 others sustained injuries in a powerful explosion that destroyed buildings in the Chinese city of Yulin.
The explosion occurred in the early afternoon in the town of Xinmin in Shaanxi province, state news agency Xinhua said.
An initial police investigation indicated that the blast was caused by illegally stored explosives, Xinhua said, adding that authorities had detained the owner of the building and were searching for the tenant.
According to Xinhua, the blast took place at about 2 p.m in a prefabricated house which had been built inside a larger residential compound.
Rescue crews were combing through the rubble overnight in the hope of finding survivors and to discover the cause of the explosion.
The building entirely collapsed following the blast, images posted on the social networks Weibo and Twitter.
#BREAKING Casualties reported after a building explodes in Fugu county, northwest China's Shaanxi Province pic.twitter.com/jgrN401EYX
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) October 24, 2016
Locals rushed to Weibo website, a Chinese version of Twitter, posting pictures and videos of people covered in blood and ruined buildings.
Some pictures show people with what appear to be head wounds and at least one person lying motionless on the street.
