Cooking Gas Explosion Kills 31 At Restaurant In China

BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in northwestern China say 31 people have been killed and seven injured in a cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Yinchuan. State media said the blast tore through the establishment Wednesday evening in the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded urgent treatment for the injured and a safety overhaul after the explosion. It happened on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, a national holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats manned by teams of paddlers. Investigators were sent to determine the cause. Industrial accidents occur regularly in China, usually because of poor oversight, corruption and lax safety practices.