The death toll from Sunday’s massive gas explosion in central China has risen to 25, as rescue workers continue to sift through the rubble for survivors.
The blast near a crowded vegetable market in Shiyan downed several buildings around 6:30 a.m. local time, leaving another 138 injured — 37 of them seriously, authorities said.
Officials initially said 12 people were killed in the explosion, but 13 more bodies were found by 12:30 p.m. Monday local time.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts following the blast and vowed that “those responsible must be held to account,” state-controlled CCTV said.
The death toll in the Shiyan gas explosion that took down several buildings has risen to 25. Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua via AP
Workers search for victims in a building damaged by a gas line explosion in Shiyan, China. CNS/AFP via Getty ImagesChinese officials have attempted to beef up safety standards in the country, which has been plagued by industrial accidents in the past.
In 2015, a series of explosions in Tianjin killed 173 people, two years after an oil pipeline blast in Qingdao left more than 60 dead.
With Post wires
