On the morning of August 4th, at around 8 a.m., a sudden explosion and fire broke out in a store in Qingyuan, Liaoning Province, causing varying degrees of damage to several nearby businesses and injuring multiple people, sparking widespread attention on the internet. The day before, over ten thousand tourists visiting a local drift scenic area were stranded and demanding refunds, creating a buzz across the entire mainland.
According to local sources, the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder explosion at a hardware store next to the Fukang Pharmacy in Qingyuan, Liaoning. Many people were injured, including a relative who is currently hospitalized and temporarily lost vision in one eye.
Another informant described the incident as the gas cylinder being refilled for an elderly lady in the area, but when she turned on a small gas heater, it exploded, leading to a fire after she was rescued from the house.
Some netizens expressed relief, saying, “I just took my child away the day before, and this happened the next day. I can’t imagine if we hadn’t left; we live in the apartment above them.”
A resident living on the sixth floor of the same building mentioned that at 8 a.m. while going downstairs to leave, they heard a loud noise that sounded different from firecrackers, being more muffled.
Another netizen shared that they heard the explosion in the ancient city as well, around 8 a.m.
From videos circulated online, it can be seen that several parked cars near the shops also suffered damages, with shattered windows from the impact.
Some local residents noted that Qingyuan has recently gained notoriety for two incidents, the explosion case and the drifting event making headlines globally, causing chaos.
On August 3rd, videos shared online by many tourists showed tens of thousands of visitors at the Honghe Gorge Drift Scenic Area in Qingyuan Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province, chanting “refund.”
Some tourists shared that after the drifting experience ended, no vehicles were available to take them back down the mountain, leaving them to walk for two hours on foot. Others regretted bringing their parents for the trip, describing the difficulties faced with no transport arranged back, wearing out their feet and lacking supplies like water or food along the way, witnessing some people becoming severely dehydrated and begging for water from passing vehicles.
Additional tourists struggled to reach the starting point due to road congestion. The situation became extremely chaotic, with enraged tourists even vandalizing the local tourism center. Mainland Chinese media outlets like Global Net covered the incidents.
On August 4th, official explanations stated that the surrounding roads of the scenic area faced traffic congestion, leading to prolonged delays for some visitors. By the early morning of August 4th, most tourists had begun their return journey. Amid forecasts of heavy rain on August 4th, the Honghe Gorge Drift was temporarily closed. By August 5th, some tourists had already received refunds.