Qingdao continues recovery

President Xi Jinping says he feels sad at loss of life from the pipeline explosion, report He Na and Xie Chuanjiao in Qingdao, and Cui Jia and Tang Yue in Beijing.

As the death toll from Friday morning's explosion in Qingdao, Shandong province, rose to 52 on Sunday, officials ruled out the possibility of further blasts but said they will continue to monitor the situation closely. Eleven people are still missing and 136 are receiving hospital treatment. Officials said the blast happened when crude oil that had leaked from a ruptured pipeline ignited in storm drains in the Huangdao district.

City authorities had been concerned about the potential for further explosions because the force of the blast ruptured a number of pipelines in the area and buckled many others.