The funeral of the first of the victims of the mustard gas incident in Qiqihar in North-east China's Heilongjiang Province was held last Tuesday.

Li Guizhen, 31, died on August 21 as a result of multi-organ failure after being poisoned by the gas. The worker, from Central China's Henan Province, had been sent to People's Liberation Army Hospital No 203 on August 4 and had remained in a critical condition.

A total of 43 victims were originally hospitalized due to poisoning by chemical munitions abandoned by the Japanese invading army in World War II. So far, 10 have been released from hospital.

Five metal barrels were dug out of a construction site in Qiqihar on August 4. One was accidentally broken on the spot and caused an oil-like substance to leak out into the soil.

The drums were bought by two itinerant workers, who broke another two of the containers, causing more leakage.

Experts confirmed on August 9 that the barrels contained mustard gas left behind by Japanese troops during their invasion of China between 1937 and 1945. A typical characteristic of poisoning caused by mustard gas is pruritus (severe itching) and burning, especially on a man's genitalia.

Li was poisoned when he was transporting barrels containing the poisonous gas from the Beijiang Gardens residential area to a local recycling facility.

Wang Yi, China's vice foreign minister, met Japan's Ambassador to China on August 22 after Li's death. Wang stressed that abandoned weaponry of the Japanese imperial army continued to injure Chinese although the war had been over for 58 years. Wang said the dignity and lives of Chinese people must be respected.

He urged Japan to shoulder the responsibility as soon as possible.

According to the Jiefang Daily, the release of mustard gas in Qiqihar was not the first time it had occurred in China. Two similar accidents had killed four people in 1950 and 1987.

Li Jian, head of the special group set up to handle the accident, said that Japanese troops had left more than 200,000 shells, many containing poison gas, around the city.

(Shanghai Star   Aug 29, 2003)