BEIJING, June 22, 2023 (AFP) – At least 31 people were killed when an explosion caused by a gas leak ripped through a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan, state media said Thursday. The blast occurred on the eve of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, when many in China go out and socialise with friends. Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed more than a dozen firefighters working at the site as smoke […]
Tag: explosion
Astronomers puzzled by ‘largest’ ever cosmic explosion
PARIS, May 12, 2023 (AFP) – Astronomers said on Friday they have identified the “largest” cosmic explosion ever observed, a fireball 100 times the size of our Solar System that suddenly began blazing in the distant universe more than three years ago. While the astronomers offered what they think is the most likely explanation for the explosion, they emphasised that more research was needed to understand the puzzling phenomenon. The explosion, called AT2021lwx, is not […]
Blast rocks Russian city as fighter jet loses ammunition
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said one of its fighter jets lost ammunition over Belgorod near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, after local authorities reported a blast that injured two people and left a huge crater in the city. Russian jets have regularly flown sorties over Belgorod since the launch of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. On Thursday evening, local officials reported a massive explosion in Belgorod, saying the blast had left a […]
Ten killed in fuel tanker explosion near Johannesburg: rescuers
Ten people died and around 40 others were injured when a fuel tanker exploded in Boksburg, a South African city east of Johannesburg, emergency services said Saturday. The tanker, transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), was caught beneath a bridge close to a hospital and houses on Saturday morning. “We received a call at 0750 telling us a gas tanker was stuck under a bridge. Firefighters were called to extinguish the flames. Unfortunately, the tanker exploded,” […]
Poland blast was likely caused by Ukraine air defense: Belgian defence minister
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The explosion that killed two Polish civilians in a village near the Ukraine border was probably caused by Ukrainian air defence units firing at incoming Russian missiles, the Belgian defence minister said Wednesday. “The missile strikes in Poland last night are being fully investigated by our intelligence service, which is in close contact with NATO partner services,” Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement. “Based on the preliminary information available, the […]
At least 16 killed, 170 injured in Bangladesh depot fire
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (AFP) — At least 16 people were killed and 170 others injured after a massive fire tore through a container depot in southern Bangladesh, officials said Sunday. The fire broke out shortly before midnight at a container storage facility in Sitakunda, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the key port of Chittagong, fire service official Jalal Ahmed said. “Sixteen people have been killed in the fire. The number of fatalities is expected to […]
Nine killed in gas explosion in east Algeria
ALGIERS, Algeria (AFP) — Nine people were killed and 16 others injured in a gas explosion in eastern Algeria which caused a three-storey building to collapse on Thursday, national television said. Rescue workers were searching the rubble in the town of Bordj Bou Arreridj for possible victims or survivors, local authorities said, adding that neighboring houses had been damaged. The explosion, which occurred in the morning, “was caused by a gas leak”, a local official […]
Gas blast kills two in Mexican beach resort
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — An explosion caused by a suspected gas leak in a beachside restaurant left two dead and 19 injured in Mexico’s Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen on Monday, authorities said. The victims’ nationalities were not immediately known. Soldiers were seen guarding the site of the blast, which caused severe damage to the restaurant in one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations. “Emergency teams arrived at the scene to help the […]
17 killed, 59 injured by explosion in western Ghana
ACCRA, Ghana (AFP) — At least 17 people were killed and 59 injured Thursday in a devastating explosion in a western Ghana town after a truck carrying explosives intended for a mine collided with a motorcycle, the government said. The blast left a huge crater and reduced dozens of buildings to dust-covered piles of wood and metal in Apiate, near the city of Bogoso some 300 kilometers (180 miles) west of the mineral-rich West African […]
One dead, six wounded in Philippines bus bombing
COTABATO, Philippines (AFP) — A child was killed and six others wounded after a bomb exploded on a public bus in the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines on Tuesday, authorities said, but no group has claimed responsibility. Police said the explosion happened as the bus was travelling along a highway near Cotabato City on Mindanao island, a haven for multiple armed groups ranging from communist insurgents to Islamist militants. The bomb was “inside the bus, at the […]
At least 20 trapped by govt office canteen blast in SW China: state media
BEIJING, China (AFP) — At least 20 people were trapped after an explosion Friday at a government office in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, according to state media. The blast occurred soon after midday and was caused by a “suspected gas leak” in an office canteen, the state-run People’s Daily reported, adding that rescue teams are en route to the site. © Agence France-Presse
Two dead after blast in Indian court building
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Two people were killed and two others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through an Indian court building on Thursday, police said. Footage showed police officers carrying the injured out of the building and asking others to leave the premises after the explosion near a restroom of the judicial complex in Ludhiana, north of the capital New Delhi. “There’s been a blast but we can not confirm the cause,” a […]





