Beijing, China– A suspected gas explosion rocked a town in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday, causing major damage to several buildings, according to state media and videos posted on social media.
“An explosion occurred at the ground floor restaurant in an old residential area,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding it was a “suspected gas explosion”.
The blast took place around 7:55 am (2355 GMT), CCTV said, in a residential area in the village of Xiaozhanggezhuang, Yanjiao, in Sanhe City, less than 50 kilometers east of the capital Beijing.
“The injured have been taken to the hospital, and the current situation of casualties is unknown,” CCTV said.
Footage online circulated by state media showed a huge explosion that sent plumes of smoke and fire across a busy road during morning rush hour.
Another video on social media showed what appeared to be a building that had completely collapsed and several destroyed cars.
