Nine people have been detained in connection with an explosion that occurred at a barbecue restaurant in northwest China and resulted in at least 31 fatalities.
The explosion that occurred on Wednesday evening local time in Yinchuan city is thought to have been caused by a gas leak.
For the rescue efforts and blast investigation, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out efforts.".
According to state media, the proprietor of the Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant was detained.
The explosion happened the night before China's three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, when lots of families and friends get together for celebratory meals.
According to state media, more people were expected to die. According to Xinhua, at least seven people were hurt, one of whom is in critical condition.
In order to treat the injured and improve safety measures, President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out efforts.". .
The accident's cause must be found as soon as possible, and legal action must be taken seriously, according to Mr. Xi. "We must do our best to rescue the injured and reassure the families of the casualties," he said.
The eatery is a part of a collection of restaurants and entertainment spots in the city center of Yinchuan, the administrative center of the Ningxia autonomous region.
As smoke billowed out of a gaping hole in the restaurant's facade, state broadcaster CCTV showed footage of more than a dozen firefighters battling the blaze. The street was covered in glass shards and other garbage.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, fire and rescue services sent out more than 100 people and 20 vehicles to the scene. Up until Thursday morning at 4:00 local time, the rescue effort continued.
A restaurant employee had smelled a gas leak about an hour prior to the explosion, according to the fire department's preliminary investigation.
According to local media, he then discovered a broken valve on a tank holding liquefied gas and was in the middle of replacing it when the explosion happened.
The north-west regions of China are home to many barbecue restaurants, which are representative of the street vendor economy there.
