Two workers were killed and some others injured during an underground explosion due to unconfirmed gas leak at a subway construction site in Guangzhou, south China, at Tuesday dusk, according to the local safety work watchdog.
The accident took place at about 6:15 p.m. when workers were digging through a tunnel 23 meters deep underground at a site of the subway line 6 near Donghu Lake.
Scores of firefighters, medical staff, and policemen hurried to the Ground Zero, controlling the accident and rescuing the victims shortly afterwards.
The wounded seven was hospitalized and the eighteen workers on location were evacuated. The injured are mainly burned or fractured.
For safety concern, the rescuers used communicative cable instead of intercom or searchlight.
Mayor Zhang Guangning detached his Secretary-general Chen Guiru to the Ground Zero to command the aftermath solution.
Chen ordered to salvage the victims immediately. A special panel was setup to investigate the cause.
About the accident cause
The accident cause investigation is still underway, according to the panel.
Some wounded said ethyne leak was found and triggered the explosion.
Other workers said detonation was heard during the accident, but nobody knew what exploded.
Mr. Zhao and Mr. Qian only had flesh wound. However, they were still frightened after treatment.
They said that, when the accident occurred, they were working. A stream of hot gas lifted them to the ground suddenly. And they denied the conjecturing of tunnel collapse.
(编辑： sky )