Firefighters are clearing the site after an explosion occurred at a construction site in Beijing Wednesday night.

At least 34 workers were injured in an explosion and fire at a construction site in Beijing last night, Beijing Times reported today.

More than 50 workers were housed in the dormitory next to a kitchen with a big liquid gas container when the accident happened at around 9 pm. Most of the injured workers suffered from burns.

The workers were in bed at the time and fled the fire, some sustaining cuts from broken windows.

The explosion was caused by gas leakage from the container, according to a workers' spokesman surnamed Pan in the report. The injured workers, from central Henan Province and northwestern Shaanxi Province, were rushed to four local hospitals for treatment.

Pan said he and his wife had four times reported a hole at the bottom of the container to the gas company, but nobody came to check it.

The injured workers were in a stable condition in the hospitals. The fire was put out at around 11pm and police investigations continue.

(Shanghai Daily May 7, 2009)