Deadly blast hits China city Xian

BBC News:

14 November 2011 Last updated at 05:42 GMT

Officials in Xian believe the blast was caused by a gas leak
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At least seven people have been killed in a suspected gas explosion in the Chinese city of Xian, officials say.

The blast, at a fast-food restaurant, ripped through a commercial building in a suburb of the city, sending shards of glass and debris into the street.

State media reported that 31 other people were hurt in the explosion at 07:30 (23:30 GMT, Sunday).

Reports said that the dead included children walking past the building on their way to school.

State media reported that the blast shattered windows several kilometres from the scene.

The Xinhua news agency and a local news website blamed the explosion on a gas leak.

Images posted on Chinese websites showed a building with its front completely destroyed, and several bodies covered with blue plastic.

Other images showed wrecked cars, and several emergency teams at the scene.

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bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-15715868