3 Injur in Gas Blast at Beijing Restaurant

Friday, September 25, 2009 at 1:14 pm

BEIJING: A gas cylinder exploded at a restaurant in downtown Beijing early Friday, 3 Injur in Gas Blast at Beijing Restaurant ing three employees and an unknown number .
Those hurt in the blast in the Xinjiekou area of the Chinese capital were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening.

The agency said the number of passers-by injured was not immediately known.

“According to the initial investigation, the explosion was an accident,” an area policewoman said.

The restaurant had collapsed following the explosion, eyewitnesses said.

The blast comes amid a security clampdown in the capital ahead of sensitive October 1 celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of communist China.

The Xinjiekou area is located northwest of Tiananmen Square, the focus of the National Day festivities.