Death toll rises to 10 after China gas plant blast
- 20 Jul 2019
The death toll from a huge explosion that rocked a gas plant in central China rose to 10, state media said on Saturday, with five people still missing.
Friday’s blast at the Henan Coal Gas Group factory left another 19 people seriously injured and more with light injuries, said state broadcaster CCTV.
The blast shattered windows and doors of buildings in a three-kilometre (1.9-mile) radius.
It occurred in the air separation unit of Henan Coal’s factory, CCTV said, with those hurt sent to four different hospitals. All production at the plant has been stopped.
“Many windows and doors within a three-kilometre radius were shattered, and some interior doors were also blown out by the blast,” CCTV said on its Twitter-like Weibo social media account.
Local media showed amateur videos of a massive column of black smoke billowing from the factory and debris littering the roads.
Other images showed the doors and windows of homes blown out and shuttered shops with dented metal fronts.
A bloodied man was seen being helped out of a van in a video posted on social media.
AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage.
Agence France-Presse
