Two masked gunmen got away with 785,000 yuan (US$94,580) during the incident which happened outside a savings bank run by Shenyang Post Office Wednesday morning. Shen Ke, 30, a security guard, was shot in the face and Zhao Guoqing, 43, a cash carrier, in his back and stomach.

Thursday night Zhao was still in a critical condition and it was thought he could end up paralyzed, according to the Provincial People's Hospital.

At 8:30 am when Shen and Zhao were carrying two cash bags to Quanyuan postal bank in Shenhe District, the gunmen shot them with sawn-off shotguns and grabbed the bags.

It seems that Shen and Zhao did not see the robbers until the last second as the bank was only three to four metres from their van. The robbery took no more than two minutes.

The gunmen were then seen to run into a resident block nearby where a red Santana sedan was waiting, according to witnesses.

The ground in front of the bank and nearby walls were covered with blood.

Many onlookers were threatened by the gunmen.

The police say one witness wrote down the car's registration number.

A special team led by the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau has been set up to investigate and a reward of 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) is being offered for information.

It is thought that the gang is made up of at least three people, one of who is around 30 years old and 1.70 metres tall.

One of them was wearing a dark jacket and a sports helmet.

The police said one red sedan was stolen Tuesday night in the city's Yuhong District.

The police have publicized the details of the cash bags and set up three public telephone lines for information.

(China Daily 01/12/2001)