By Canadian Press

An explosion in a building outside Beijing kills 1 person and injures 22

Mar 12, 2024 | 11:21 PM

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers were responding to a suspected gas leak explosion Wednesday in a building in northern China that has killed one person and injured 22, authorities said.

The explosion came early in the morning from a fried chicken shop in the city of Sanhe, authorities said in a short statement. The city is just an hour drive west of Beijing.

Police cordoned off streets 1 kilometer (over half a mile) out from the explosion, Associated Press reporters saw, and were directing people away.

Fire engines were still arriving at the scene as of 11 a.m., and a truck could be seen hauling away a burnt-out car with its windows gone. Pieces of the building’s frame stood at a tilt above piles of rubble.

Over 150 firefighters were sent to bring the flames under control, according to national broadcaster CCTV. Videos online showed smoke billowing out of a mid-level commercial building at an intersection.

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AP video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report.

Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press