Beijing, 22 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - A gas explosion in a restaurant in northern China has killed at least 31 people, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.

Seven others were injured, one of them seriously in the explosion on Wednesday night, Xinhua said. The explosion happened at a barbecue restaurant in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, in the northwest Ningxia region.

The cause of the explosion was probably a gas leak, Xinhua reported, citing information from the Ningxia Party Committee. First, a gas tank on the ground floor exploded then a gas line burst on the first floor, the report said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered a full investigation.

Photo: archive