Tragedy sparks LPG safety concerns

The death of 14 people in an explosion caused by a gas leak in a hotpot restaurant in Shouyang county, Shanxi province, on Nov 23 has shocked the nation. The tragedy, which also left 47 people injured, has sent shivers down the spine of everyone who enjoys a hotpot dinner.

The explosion evoked calls online to review the use of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders in hotpot restaurants. And not surprisingly, the local government has banned the use of LPG cylinders in hotpot restaurants and launched inspections to weed out other unnecessary explosive and inflammable materials from eateries.

Hotpot restaurant owners in Shouyang, for their part, have been buying electric cookers to replace gas stoves to heat the hotpot soup and to keep it warm.