An underground thermal pipeline bursts in downtown Beijing. [Pierre Chen / China.org.cn]

At least seven people were hurt when an underground thermal pipeline burst at a busy intersection in downtown Beijing at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The blast disrupted traffic and created a plume of steam hundreds of feet high. Gallery >> | Video>>

The burst, in the Sidaokou district of the city, blew away part of the road surface. Fortunately, traffic was waiting for a red light to change so no vehicles were caught in the blast, according to a car passenger at the scene.

Police set up a 50-meter perimeter round the burst pipeline as the flow of hot water and steam showed no sign of easing. Officers said there had been no fatalities but declined to comment further. The Beijing News later reported that seven people had been taken to hospital.

A cyclist named Mr. Kang Cheng was caught in the accident. He said the burst caused a mushroom cloud of steam to rise over the area. "I was riding east when it happened. Luckily, I wasn't too close to the blast," he said, pointing to dust on his soaked overcoat. The city's central heating had been turned off at midnight yesterday, so the water in the pipe was not too hot. "Otherwise I would have been severely burnt," he said.

The incident caused long tailbacks in all directions from the intersection but a subway construction site in the vicinity was not affected, according to staff.