2 dead, 26 injured in Hebei eatery explosion

Two people were killed and 26 others were injured from an explosion that occurred at 7:54 am on Wednesday at a fried chicken restaurant in Yanjiao town of Sanhe city, an area under the administration of Langfang, Hebei province, according to the city's emergency management bureau.

It is suspected that a gas leak had occurred at the restaurant which caused the detonation, the bureau said.

Department of Emergency Management of Hebei province has dispatched a working group to the scene to guide the rescue and disposal work. Relevant departments and personnel from emergency, fire forces and health authorities have rushed to the scene for rescue and handling of the accident, according to the bureau and a report by China Central Television.

A total of 154 firefighters and 36 fire-fighting trucks were dispatched to the site. The fire has been effectively controlled and the rescue work is under way, according to Langfang city's fire rescue department.

Tianjin TEDA Gas Co, a local gas provider, has issued a notice to suspend gas supply, according to the media outlet Cover News, quoting an employee of the company. It reported that after the explosion, the company responded to the request of the emergency management bureau and temporarily suspended the gas supply to the nearby pipeline network.