A lunchtime explosion took place at an office cafeteria killed 16 people in southwest China on Friday noon and injured 10 others, authorities present there said.
The suspected cause of the blast is said to be gas leakage, the Chongqing city government said in an online statement.
The cafeteria collapsed, trapping victims inside. Rescue workers searched the debris into the night and all the bodies were recovered by midnight, the official Xinhua News Agency said. One of the survivors was in critical condition.
The blast happened at a government subdistrict office in Wulong District at around 12:10pm, which is about 75 kilometers (120 miles) west of the Chongqing city center and known for its scenic karst rock formations.
