A large explosion has occurred at a factory in the Chinese port city of Ningbo, injuring at least 30 people and damaging multiple buildings in the surrounding area, local officials say. Only few details were immediately available.
The incident happened at about 9 a.m. local time on Sunday when a large explosion ripped through a factory in the city’s Jiangbei District. There was no immediate word on what may have caused the explosion, which affected a busy street.
A local official described the situation as serious and said a large number of ambulances were sent to the scene. The exact number of casualties was not yet known, but the People’s Daily newspaper reported that more than 30 people had been rushed to hospital.
Photos from the scene showed victims on the ground along with damaged buildings and vehicles.
Ningbo, which was previously known as Ningpo, is located in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. It is about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Shanghai, or 1,210 kilometers (750 miles) southeast of the capital Beijing.
The blast occurred in an area of the city that is home to a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The explosion caused shaking to be felt across multiple neighborhoods in the scene and a plume of smoke could be seen.
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