On the morning of June 5th, an explosion occurred at a street-side store in Benxi City, Liaoning Province, resulting in 2 deaths and 13 injuries. Currently, the small-scale fire has been extinguished.
Footage captured by a dashcam showed the moment of the explosion, where vehicles were just coming to a stop when the street-side building suddenly exploded, causing a section of the exterior wall on the second floor to collapse and impacting nearby parked and oncoming vehicles.
The aftermath of the explosion left the street in chaos, with a public bus showing shattered glass both inside and out, deformed doors, and injured passengers gradually exiting the vehicle. Adjacent to the building, an SUV appeared charred, deformed, with broken windows. The sidewalk was littered with shattered glass, advertising signs, and debris from the building materials.
According to reports from Upstream News, the incident took place near Pingshan Road in Pingshan District of Benxi City. The building involved was a multi-story old building with commercial spaces on the ground floor and residential units above. The affected businesses included a grocery store, a breakfast shop, and a barbershop. A resident from the opposite building mentioned hearing a loud noise during the incident. Following the explosion, some residents were trapped upstairs and were successfully rescued by firefighters using a ladder.
Hospital staff from Benxi Central Hospital informed Upstream News reporters that injured individuals from the explosion had been brought to the emergency department for treatment.
On that morning, the Benxi City Fire Rescue Bureau issued an emergency alert stating that at 6:42 a.m. on June 5th, a street-side store (approximately 35 square meters) in Pingshan District of Benxi City experienced an explosion suspected to be caused by a gas tank leak. The small fire has been put out, two trapped individuals have been rescued with no signs of life, and 13 people with minor injuries have been sent to receive medical treatment. The cause of the accident is under investigation.