BEIJING, March 13 (Reuters) - A suspected gas leak

caused a blast at a restaurant in China's northern province of

Hebei that ripped facades from buildings, damaged cars and

scattered debris to kill one person and injure 22, state media

and authorities said on Wednesday.

The injured were taken to hospital, state broadcaster CCTV

News said after the blast at about 8 a.m. in the county of

Sanhe, roughly 80 km (50 miles) from Beijing, the capital, where

key annual political meetings had just concluded.

Videos on social media platform Weibo ( WB ) showed a large orange

fireball over the site, followed by billows of grey smoke, and

scenes of the destroyed frontage of buildings, mangled cars,

with glass shards in the streets, and some objects still ablaze.

A gas leak triggered the accident in a fried chicken shop in

the town of Yanjiao, city emergency officials said in a

statement, drawing rescuers, firefighters, health and other

officials to the scene.

The fire had been brought under control, fire officials said

in an earlier statement, adding that 36 vehicles and 154 people

had been dispatched to the site and were carrying out rescue

work.

China's latest deadly gas explosion at an eatery comes after

the government issued detailed guidelines last year on the use

of gas appliances and cookers to avert safety risks.

Social media posters on Weibo ( WB ) said the explosion occurred

near a cultural centre in the town. Construction of a metro line

was taking place nearby, independent Chinese weekly the Economic

Observer said on its social media account.

City emergency authorities have sent an investigation team,

according to social media posts.