A suspected gas leak explosion in a building in northern China has killed two people and injured 26 others, authorities said.
The explosion came early in the morning from a fried chicken shop in the city of Sanhe, authorities said in a short statement. The city is an hour drive west of Beijing.
Police cordoned off streets over half a mile from the explosion and were directing people away.
![Firefighters work the scene of an explosion in Sanhe city in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday (Ng Han Guan/AP)](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/RALU4DLK7ROMXARLEQMM4KPSMI.jpg?auth=91c9b89a411ab1557ccb59744e83b67d5b5242a33e5527b9c974d9dd26ee5d0f&width=800&height=600)
A truck could be seen hauling away a burned-out car with its windows gone.
Pieces of the building’s frame stood at a tilt above piles of rubble.
More than 150 firefighters were sent to bring the flames under control, according to national broadcaster CCTV.
Videos online showed smoke billowing out of a mid-level commercial building at an intersection.