Blast, fire in Zhuhai injure at least 3

At least three people were injured in a gas blast in a store near a hotel in the Doumen district of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Friday morning. One of them was burned.

The blast occurred in the district's Baiteng neighborhood at about 9 am, damaging many residential houses and shops in the area, according to a statement released by the district's bureau of public security on Friday.

The ground floor and second floor of the hotel were also seriously damaged, and the smoke continued to billow for some time in the area, the statement said.

"I saw fire after hearing an explosion inside a business while I was walking along the street," a witness told local media. "I later saw the heavy smoke and pedestrians running in all directions."