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

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 time of press, the incident has resulted in two deaths and 26 injured, local authorities said. 

At 7:54 am on Wednesday, a suspected gas leak led to a deflagration incident at a fried chicken shop in Yanjiao in Sanhe, Langfang in North China's Hebei Province, local authority said. Local fire, emergency, and medical departments had quickly arrived on the scene to deal with the situation, according to media reports.

As of 1:30 pm, 28 people have been recovered from the scene of the accident. Among them, two people have been confirmed dead, and 26 were injured, according to Ji Hongtu, head of the Emergency Management Bureau of Sanhe city, in an interview at the scene with China Central Television (CCTV). The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals, with most of them suffering from minor injuries.

At present, the open fire has been extinguished. Residents within 500 meters have been evacuated, and nearby pedestrian traffic has been dispersed, with a cordon set up at the scene. The specific cause and location of the explosion have not been determined yet, but it is preliminarily believed to be caused by a gas leak, said Ji.

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, said the brigade in a statement. Around 10 am, the fire at the scene of the accident has been effectively controlled. 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.

The scene revealed shattered glass on nearby buildings, damaged cars on the road, and debris scattered on the ground after the explosion. The building opposite the explosion also suffered varying degrees of damage, with glass and other debris occasionally falling from it.

Yanjiao is a satellite town to the east of Beijing, belonging to Sanhe city of 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 am. 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."

Global Times