Beijing, China – An explosion ripped through a residential area in Taiyuan, the capital of northern China’s Shanxi province, on Wednesday (April 30), killing at least one person and injuring 21 others, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Two people remain missing as rescue efforts continue.
The blast occurred at around 1:17 p.m., sending plumes of smoke into the sky and shattering glass in nearby buildings. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
Unverified footage circulating on Chinese social media platform Weibo appeared to show several vehicles ablaze outside a building, with thick black smoke pouring from the scene and damage to nearby apartment windows.
Emergency responders acted swiftly, deploying 210 firefighters and 43 fire trucks to the site, CCTV reported.
This latest incident comes just a day after a devastating restaurant fire in northeastern China’s Liaoning province killed 22 people. President Xi Jinping called that tragedy “a deeply sobering lesson.” Authorities have ruled out gas explosion and arson in that case, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
China has seen a troubling rise in similar accidents in recent years. Earlier in April, 20 people died in a fire at a nursing home in Hebei province, underscoring growing concerns over safety standards in residential and public buildings.
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