World news: Massive gas pipe explosion rips through residential neighborhood in China, leaving at least 12 dead & over 100 injured (VIDEOS)

A major explosion has occurred in the central Chinese city of Shiyan, leaving at least 12 people dead and over 100 injured. The blast destroyed a local food market and damaged multiple residential buildings.

The blast, centered at the food market, rocked the city located in Hubei province, early on Sunday.

Footage from the scene circulating online shows the market partially collapsed with a massive crater left in the ground, suggesting that leaked gas had accumulated under the building long before the explosion.

A gas explosion in central China's Hubei Province has left 12 people dead and more than 100 people injured, including 39 seriously.
As of 12 p.m. the searchers had found 150 people from the blast site in the city of #Shiyan and rushed them to hospitalshttps://t.co/VOVw7MxwaL pic.twitter.com/x7rpbEohSg
— David de la Paz 戴维 (@daviddelapaz) June 13, 2021

Streets around the market were filled with debris blown out of the building, with only its concrete husk left standing.

🟠#JustIn :

More than 100 Injured & 12 people ki!!ed in a massive Gas Expl0sion in #China's Shiyan city pic.twitter.com/vZXlAxnGNZ
— Mukul (@LoveHuminity143) June 13, 2021

Multiple residential buildings in the area were damaged by the blast, with their windows shattered and walls battered with shrapnel.

One more visual ft the accident site shiyan city, Chrna

"viewer discretion is advised"pic.twitter.com/9pkvC6hoiY
— 🇨𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫_🇻𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫☢️ ᷜ ⷶ ⷶ ᷝ ⷶ- ᷠ ⷶ ᷚ™ (@Kaala_Nag) June 13, 2021

The explosion left at least 12 people dead with some 138 more injured, Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV reported. Some 37 of the injured remain in critical condition.

In the aftermath of the deadly blast, hospitals in the city urged the residents to donate blood, signaling that the influx of the injured may cause shortages.