Explosion in China’s Chongqing kills 16: state media | Al Jazeera

A building housing a canteen in Chongqing in China’s southwest has collapsed after an explosion suspected to have been caused by a gas leak, killing at least 16, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday.

As of midnight (1600 GMT) on Friday, 26 people had been taken from the site, 16 of whom had died, the broadcaster said on Saturday.

One person was in critical condition, and the other injured people were also in hospital after being trapped in concrete following the explosion.

The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a team of more than 600 personnel to the scene in Chongqing’s Wulong district, CCTV said.

Images posted by the Xinhua news agency showed heavy equipment lifting slabs of concrete from the site of the explosion.