Gas blast in China kills 12, rescue operation ongoing: officials

BEIJING, China — At least 12 people were killed and more than 100 others injured when a gas line explosion ripped through a residential compound in central China's Hubei province on Sunday, local officials said.

Rescue efforts were continuing, according to a statement from the disaster management bureau in the city of Shiyan.

Videos shot by witnesses and verified by Beijing News show several buildings reduced to rubble and rescue workers carrying shocked survivors on stretchers.

The explosion took place at about 6:30 am local time (22:30 GMT) and an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the blast, the statement said.

Industrial accidents are common in China due to weak safety standards and corruption among officials tasked with enforcing them.

The blast comes a day after eight people were killed and three others injured when toxic methyl formate leaked from a chemical handling facility in the southwestern city of Guiyang.