35 killed in China oil pipeline explosion: government

The force of the blast ripped roads apart, turning cars over and sending thick black smoke billowing over the city, pictures showed.

One pedestrian had a leg blown off and another man's head was crushed under a piece of concrete debris.

The pipeline, run by state-owned oil giant Sinopec, sprang a leak early Friday and exploded several hours later as workers sought to repair it, the Qingdao municipal government said in its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

At least 35 people were killed, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The Qingdao municipal government earlier had said when the toll was at 22 that it could rise further and the number of injured had yet to be confirmed. Its Sina Weibo account was not immediately updated with the total reported by Xinhua.

The explosion site in the eastern province of Shandong is close to the coast and barriers had been set up to stop oil leaking into the sea, it said.

China has a dismal record on industrial safety as lax law enforcement and corruption enables business owners to cut corners or offer bribes to evade standards.