Firefighters carry a person injured in a gas explosion in a residential community in Shiyan, Central China's Hubei Province. The accident killed 25 and injured 138, according to information available as of Monday afternoon. Rescue work and investigation of the cause are still in progress. Photo: VCG

Rescue and clean-up work continued on Monday after a deadly natural gas explosion took the lives of 25 people and injured 138 others in Shiyan, Central China's Hubei Province on Sunday, with workers clearing debris and checking to see if anyone remained buried at the site. The cause of the accident remained unclear as of press time.

When a Global Times reporter arrived at the explosion site on Monday afternoon, an ambulance had entered. The garden of a house near the collapsed building was carpeted with iron debris. Local officials were registering those living nearby who needed to return home to get some of their possessions.

A local resident surnamed Li told the Global Times that the accident happened while a maintenance worker was fixing a pipeline after a gas leak.

The Work Safety Committee of the State Council, the nation's cabinet, said on Monday that it will oversee the investigations of the gas explosion. 

The committee urged government departments to ensure safe production. It also asked key sectors and other entities to step up their supervision of risks and create a "safe, stable" environment for the centenary anniversary of the Communist Party of China on July 1. 

After the tragedy,  residents in Shiyan eagerly went to donate blood to help the injured. As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,289 people had donated blood, which the city said would be enough to meet the needs of the local clinics.