Powerful blast rocks residential high-rise in southern China, kills one person

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The blast occurred in a high-end condo in an area where headquarters of major companies, including Tencent, are located.

The blast occurred in a high-end condo in an area where headquarters of major companies, including Tencent, are located.

PHOTO: ZHULIN ZHANG/X

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- A powerful blast rocked a residential high-rise building in an affluent district in the Chinese southern city of Shenzhen on Dec 11, killing one person and sending shockwaves through nearby skyscrapers.

The Shenzhen fire brigade said it dispatched 16 fire trucks and 80 rescue personnel after receiving a report of the emergency at the residential compound.

A video posted by broadcaster Phoenix TV showed flames engulfing part of the building’s exterior, with dense smoke billowing in the air.

“Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the table shook,” a 30-year-old man surnamed Zhang, who worked at a nearby office building, told Reuters.

The state-run Beijing News reported that a preliminary investigation pointed to a gas explosion on the 28th floor of the building as the cause of the fire, though the exact cause was still being investigated.

At least one person fell off the building after the explosion and was taken away by ambulance, the report said.

The blast occurred in a high-end condominium in an area where headquarters of major companies, including Tencent, are located.

Further details of the situation were being verified, state broadcaster CCTV said. REUTERS

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