An explosion occurred in a building in the town of Yanjiao, located to the east of Beijing on Wednesday morning, causing severe damage to several surrounding buildings. As of press time, the incident has resulted in one fatality and 22 injuries, local authority said. Local fire, emergency, and medical departments had arrived on the scene to deal with the situation, according to media reports.
Screenshots of circulating videos showing the explosion taken place in Yanjiao in Sanhe city, North China's Hebei Province on March 13, 2024. Photo: Sina Weibo
At 7:54 am on Wednesday, a suspected gas leak led to a deflagration incident at a fried chicken shop in Yanjiao in Langfang in North China’s Hebei Province, local authority said.
According to media reports and eyewitness accounts, the explosion resulted in some people being injured, but the exact number of casualties remains unclear.
The fire at the scene of the accident has been effectively controlled, the local fire brigade said in a statement released at 10 am.
The fire brigade received a report of an explosion and fire at a street-side shop at 7:55 am and immediately dispatched 36 fire trucks and 154 personnel to the scene for disposal. Rescue operations remain underway, the statement said.
According to media reports, the explosion took place in a building near Yanjiao train station. Videos circulating online show a building engulfed in flames and smoke, with significant damage to the structure and shattered glass in multiple shops. The explosion also shattered the windows of a nearby residential building.
Senior officials from Sanhe city’s emergency management bureau have all arrived at the scene , according to media reports. Some injured have been sent to the hospital, but the exact number of casualties remains unclear, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
Yanjiao is a satellite town to the east of Beijing, belonging to Sanhe city of North China’s Hebei Province. Yanjiao is a commuting hub for those who work in Beijing, with the explosion striking during morning rush hour.
A local merchant near the scene of the explosion said she heard the explosion around 8 o'clock. When she went out to inspect the situation, she saw a nearby building on fire, almost completely destroyed by the explosion. Shortly after the incident, the fire department and emergency services arrived at the scene to handle the situation. At the time of the explosion, there were many motor vehicles on surrounding roads, which were also affected by the explosion, as reported by Jimu News.
Another shop assistant at a nearby store said that after a loud noise, the windows of the exploded store shattered and the ceiling collapsed. About 20 minutes after the explosion, a fire broke out, and then the fire department arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire, according to reporting by Nanfang Daily.
The shop assistant said that the explosion occurred at a busy intersection, and there were many cars on the road at the time. "The explosion happened when the traffic light was red, and many cars stopped on the road were affected by the explosion," the shop assistant said. "There were several people who jumped out of their cars. They had minor injuries with slight bleeding, but seemed largely unharmed."
（Picture: Veer）
