4 Chinese hurt in Makati resto explosion

LPG EXPLOSION A pedestrian passes by the Judianchuanba Restaurant along Yakal Street in Palanan, Makati City, where an explosion occurred on Thursday night due to a gas leak. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

An explosion at a Chinese restaurant in Makati City injured four Chinese nationals on Thursday night, mere hours from a scheduled grand opening to kick start the New Year. One of the injured, Cao Yuegiang, 45, was rushed to the intensive care unit of a hospital for second-degree burns, said Insp. Eduardo Labrador, Makati arson investigation chief. The other three—37-year-old Zhang Liang; 25-year-old Ting Tang and 27-year-old Yun Long—were hospitalized after sustaining several lacerations on their bodies. The four were injured after an LPG tank at the Judianchuanba restaurant along Yakal exploded around 8:52 p.m. Ting and Yun were merely passing by the area, Labrador said. The restaurant’s front facade, which was mostly glass, sustained the heaviest damage. The restaurant was scheduled for a grand opening on Friday after undergoing renovation. —KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING