15 sentenced for roles in fatal 2023 gas explosion in NW China

YINCHUAN -- A court in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Friday sentenced 15 individuals for their roles in a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in 2023, which killed 31 people.

The defendants received prison terms ranging from one to six years for the crimes of causing serious accidents or providing false certification documents, according to the Xingqing District People's Court in Yinchuan, the regional capital.

Zhang Hongxian and Liu Guo, who co-invested and operated the restaurant, were among those convicted. Cui Wenbo, the actual controller of the gas supplier, and Zhou Zhiguo, the legal representative of a gas testing agency, were also found guilty.

Three of the defendants were banned from working in related professions for a certain period, while three frontline employees with lighter liability were given suspended jail sentences in accordance with the law.

The blast took place at Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in Yinchuan on June 21, 2023, when liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leaked at the restaurant and caused the blast, leaving 31 dead and seven injured.

The court found that the direct cause of the blast was the LPG distributor providing the restaurant with substandard cylinders, which were incorrectly operated by the restaurant staff.

Zhou and two others, as staff members of the gas testing agency, were found to have intentionally provided false certification documents — a criminal act.