Asia-Pacific News

Illegal explosives to blame in fatal Chinese factory blast (Roundup)

Jun 21, 2009, 12:08 GMT

Beijing - A factory blast which killed 16 and injured 43 others on Sunday in central China's Anhui province, was caused by illegally-stored explosives, Chinese work authorities and state media reported. The explosion took place at 3 am Sunday (1900 GMT Saturday) at a privately owned factory in Fengyang County, said a statement on the website of the State Administration of Work Safety. The explosion at the factory, which produces quartz sand, was caused by the illegal stockpiling and storage of five to seven tons of explosives on the premises, the official Xinhua news agency reported. 'The enterprise is just a quartz sand processing factory, not a mining business, and has no need for explosives,' Anhui Vice Mayor Wang Chuzhou was quoted as saying. Most of those killed were factory employees, while many of the injured lived nearby, Xinhua reported. The factory owners were detained by police, the report said.

Asia-Pacific News

Illegal explosives to blame in fatal Chinese factory blast (Roundup)

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