At least 16 people died and many more were trapped in the rubble when a canteen exploded during lunchtime in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.
The explosion occurred shortly after noon, local time, and is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. The official New China News Agency reported that 16 people were killed and 10 others were injured.
One of the injured is being treated in critical condition. Many workers were eating their lunch at the time the building collapsed, trapping 27 of them in the rubble. All those trapped have now been recovered. The building was located in the Wuling district, 100 kilometers east of Chongqing city.
In videos broadcast by Chinese media, a cloud of dust can be seen above the debris and people trying to get the trapped people out. In other images, firefighters examine the remaining walls and cranes lift slabs of concrete. In another video also broadcast by Xinhua, rescuers in military uniforms run to the scene of the disaster, shovels in hand.
What happened was terrifying recounted one woman, explaining that the blast shattered all the windows of her house. In a similar explosion in October 2021 at a restaurant in Shenyang city, four people were killed and about 50 injured.
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