China orders gas safety checks after Ningxia blast kills 31
- Authorities in Yinchuan, where the explosion occurred, inspect key industries for hazards
- City mayor apologises for incident, saying he is deeply saddened and ‘guilty’
The explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the regional capital Yinchuan on Wednesday night was caused by a leak from a liquefied gas tank in the restaurant and is the deadliest incident of its kind in the region in years.
Authorities in Beijing ordered a safety overhaul on Thursday, requiring inspections throughout the city.
Beijing mayor Yin Yong said the inspections should be focused on restaurants and marketplaces, and authorities should conduct comprehensive safety assessments of ageing gas pipelines.
“[We should] effectively prevent and resolve risks and resolutely prevent serious accidents from occurring,” the official Beijing Daily quoted Yin as saying on Friday.
In the northeastern province of Jilin, officials said on Thursday that they were “fully committed to safety and emergency management to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property”.
It followed orders from Chinese President Xi Jinping that all regions and related governments identify and rectify dangers.
Xi urged relevant departments to carry out inspections in key industries and sectors, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.
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Dozens dead in gas explosion in barbecue restaurant in northwestern China
Yinchuan launched its own safety plan on Thursday, focusing on key industries such as gas, hazardous chemicals, mining, construction and transport.
The city’s urban management bureau also told gas companies to carry out a comprehensive inspection of natural gas storage units, transmission pipelines and facilities.
On Thursday evening, Yinchuan mayor Tao Shaohua apologised for the tragedy, saying that he was “deeply saddened and guilty”.
Tao said the accident was the most serious one of its kind in the autonomous region in years.
Yinchuan authorities said they would find the causes of the explosion and hold those responsible to account.
In Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province in eastern China, authorities pledged to carry out a “full-coverage” investigation and remedy dangers.
“We must … learn from the lessons of the accident and effectively prevent such accidents from happening,” city management and law enforcement bureau chief Luo Jianhua told state news agency Xinhua.
The eastern Chinese province of Shandong issued an emergency notice on Thursday, requiring immediate inspection and rectification of gas safety hazards.
The inspection will be focused on all types of barbecue restaurants, stalls, snack shops and farmers’ markets that use bottled liquefied gas.
Meanwhile, the ministries of transport, public security and culture and tourism also issued notices on the need to prevent safety problems.
