Seven die after early-morning blast in southern China

Seven people were killed, and 17 were injured in an explosion that occurred at around 1:40 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, in Xing’an County, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China, according to a notice issued by local police.

Following the incident, senior officials from the Communist Party committees and government authorities of Guilin City and Xing’an County rushed to the scene to oversee rescue and emergency response operations. Efforts involved public security, firefighting, health and emergency management agencies, as per Chinese media.

Police said that after four rounds of search and rescue operations, the death toll stood at seven. The 17 injured have been taken to the hospital for treatment, and none are in life-threatening condition. Others who sustained minor injuries have received medical care and have been properly accommodated.

Rescue operations at the site are ongoing.

A preliminary investigation has ruled out pipeline gas and other similar factors as the cause of the explosion. Public security authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the incident, according to the Xing’an police notice.

By Tamilla Hasanova