25 killed in gas explosion in Hubei, China

A gas line explosion at a market in Hubei province in central China has caused death of 25 persons. State television reported that local officials announced the formation of a team to investigate the cause of the blast.

The blast occurred on Sunday that ripped through the market in the city of Shiyan which injured 138 people. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the blast, state media reported.
A similar blast occurred in the northeastern port of Qingdao in 2013, in which 55 people were killed when underground pipelines ripped open following a leak. Frequent deadly accidents are usually traced to weak adherence to safety standards, poor maintenance, and corruption among enforcement bodies despite attempts to tighten safety standards.

Among the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people.