Nine people were killed and nearly 40 others injured in a gas pipeline explosion yesterday in Renshou County, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

 

A total of 1,837 residents in the vicinity were evacuated after the explosion and have been properly accommodated, the sources with the provincial administration of work safety said.

 

The sources said the gas pipelines with Fujia Gas Station of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)'s Southwest Oil & Gas Field Branch exploded around 12:17 AM, producing a big hole in the ground.

 

Eight people were killed on the spot. One more died in the local hospital, and four others were seriously injured. Most of the killed were workers with the gas station and their family members.

 

The explosion also destroyed buildings in the vicinity and slightly injured more than 30 people. All the injured, mostly suffering from burns, are hospitalized.

 

A spokesperson with the Southwest Oil & Gas Field Branch said the exploded pipelines were laid down in the 1970s and had been operating normally before the accident.

 

The explosion also led to a suspended gas supply for daily use in Renshou and neighboring cities of Ziyang and Jianyang. The Southwest Oil and Gas Field Branch has organized manpower to repair the pipelines and it is expected that gas supply will resume by Saturday noon.

 

Specialists from the General Administration of Work Safety (GAWS) and CNPC have arrived at the site of the explosion. A special group has been set up to investigate into the cause of the explosion.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2006)