One hundred-fifty people were evacuated following the deadly accident in the city of Shiyan in Hubei province, CCTV said, of which 37 are critically injured.
The explosion caused a food market building to collapse at 6.30am, local media reported. Footage from CCTV shows wreckage and shattered glass covering the first floor of the collapsed building, where people were having breakfast and buying groceries when explosion happened.
People can be seen walking in a rubble-strewn street between damaged buildings.
