Beijing: (AFP)
At least nine people were killed, and many were suspended, Friday, following a gas explosion in a government office in the Chinese city of Chongqing, according to official media.
The explosion occurred shortly following midday and was caused by a “presumed gas leak” in the office canteen, the government newspaper People’s Daily reported. The explosion caused the building that houses the canteen to collapse, and 27 people were trapped inside.
Twenty people were pulled from under the rubble by evening, according to state television, which indicated that at least nine of them had died.
The authorities sent regarding 260 emergency personnel and 50 vehicles to the scene, according to the official CCTV network, confirming the start of an investigation into the causes of the explosion.
A video clip showed rescuers in orange clothes and helmets making their way through the rubble. And the official New China News Agency said that a number of the wounded were taken to hospital.
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