Nine people have been confirmed dead after an explosion in Shanxi
yesterday, and up to 100 were poisoned by an ammonia leak in Jiangxi
the same day.
The blast, which also injured 25, including two seriously
wounded, took place at 1:09 PM in Changninggong Village of Fenyang
City, according to local police. The city government released the
most recent death toll at 1 PM today.
According to a report in yesterday's Shanxi Evening
News, the blast was caused by crude explosives hidden by Zhang
Xuequan, a colliery boss. His two-storey house was razed to the
ground, and 26 nearby rooms belonging to five families were also
destroyed.
Zhang survived the explosion, and has since been arrested.
According to police investigating the site, he may have stored over
two tons of explosives in his home.
The ammonia leak took place at a brewery in Yichun City at 12:40
PM on Thursday, poisoning up to 100 people but so far leading to no
deaths, according to sources from the city's firefighting
bureau.
The accident occurred in Dequan Brewery and over 100 people in
the area felt dizzy and nauseated. Trees and flowers situated
within 20 meters of the site were scorched.
The leak, probably caused by aging and cracked pipes, was
contained within 30 minutes and some 150 workers and over 2,000
nearby households evacuated.
The victims were in a stable condition by time of going to
press.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2005)