Ministry calls for all-out rescue efforts after gas explosion in north China's Tianjin

BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday called for all-out efforts to carry out rescue and relief work after a gas explosion in a residential building in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

The explosion, which took place at around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday in Beichen District, damaged the six-story building and left some residents trapped, the ministry said.

By 4 p.m. Tuesday, 11 people were found injured while three are still missing. The injuries sustained by the victims are not life-threatening, according to the publicity department of the district government.

The ministry called for the immediate evacuation of people in the vicinity and determining the cause of the explosion at the earliest.

Efforts should also be made to comprehensively screen and identify gas leakage risks to prevent the occurrence of such accidents in the future, the ministry said.