At least 3 dead in apparent gas explosion in north China

BEIJING (AP) — At least three people have been killed and 30 injured in an apparent gas explosion at a hotel in the northern Chinese city of Shenyang. State media reported the blast occurred as the city of more than 8 million people is renovating and replacing old gas lines. Images posted online showed a cloud of dust and debris blowing onto a busy street, leaving the bottom three floors of a high-rise building a gutted shell. Concrete blocks were piled in the street and a three-wheeled delivery vehicle lay on its side. China is in the process of replacing decaying infrastructure.