1 dead, 12 injured, 3 still missing in Tianjin gas explosion

One person has died, 12 have been injured and three are still missing after a blast occured at a community in Beichen district of North China's Tianjin around 7:15 am on Tuesday.

The explosion, which severely damaged a six-story building, was caused by a gas explosion, according to the WeChat account of Tianjin Daily.

Further investigation into the direct cause of the explosion and rescue efforts remain underway.

Li Hongzhong, Party secretary of Tianjin, and Zhang Gong, Tianjin's mayor, visited the site to investigate the explosion and coordinate rescue work.

They noted that related authorities should prioritize people's lives and speed up rescue efforts.

They reiterated that more attention should be paid to old buildings and to investigate old gas pipelines to protect people's health and safety.

Authorities announced in the evening that the supply of electricity and gas in other buildings in the community was gradually resuming.