On Sunday, a catastrophic gas explosion ripped apart Hubei province in Central China, killing 11 people and badly injuring 37 others.

According to the South China Morning Post, the blast damaged many buildings and completely demolished the Yanhu market in Shiyan.

According to state-run CGTN-TV, the bomb occurred at 6.30 a.m. local time in Shiyan's Zhangwan area.

According to accounts, the number of casualties is likely to be large because the explosion occurred while many residents were eating breakfast and shopping for vegetables in the vicinity.

Initially, the city's municipal government stated that "several" persons were trapped as a result of the incident.

Rescue personnel were seen searching through the ruins of demolished houses in images and video footage circulating on the social media platform Weibo.

The accident's cause is still being investigated.