GAS BLAST KILLS 12, HURTS AT LEAST 140 IN CHINA

At least 12 people were killed and nearly 140 others injured when a gas line exploded in a residential compound in central China's Hubei province on Sunday, officials said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Rescue workers are uncertain how many people may still be trapped under the debris, according to a statement from the disaster management bureau in the city of Shiyan. Videos shot by witnesses and verified by Beijing News show several buildings reduced to rubble and rescuers carrying shocked survivors on stretchers.

The blast ripped through a vegetable market that was filled with shoppers and people eating breakfast.

In a rare move, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a statement urging local officials to "learn profound lessons from the incident" and double down on efforts to prevent such incidents.

"All regions and relevant departments must draw lessons from one another... investigate various safety hazards and prevent major emergencies," he said.

Industrial accidents are common in China due to weak safety standards and corruption among officials tasked with enforcing them.

The blast comes a day after eight people were killed and three others injured when toxic methyl formate leaked from a chemical handling facility in the southwestern city of Guiyang. A massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin killed 173 people in one of the worst industrial accidents in China in recent years.

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