(China Daily/Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-18 07:47

CHANGSHA: Nine people were killed and 25 others injured by what appeared to be a deliberately planned explosion in Central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said Monday.

The blast occurred at about 7:15 pm on Sunday at a restaurant in Wenjiashi Township, Liuyang, when more than 30 people were dining, according to police.

Initial investigations revealed that the diners had been invited to the restaurant by a villager from Wenjiashi Township, who had had a dispute with some of the guests over family issues.

The unidentified villager had allegedly organized the gathering to apologize, a police spokesman said.

The explosion was believed to have been planned in advance. The spokesman said it was a criminal case.

The injured people were described as being in stable condition in hospital, he said.

He would not provide further details, and reporters were barred from visiting the scene of the blast.

The investigation is con-tinuing, the spokesman said.

The explosion came amid a nationwide campaign to crack down on illegal explosives that the the Ministry of Public Securities launched in April.

According to the ministry, the number of crimes involving explosives fell by 27 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period of last year.

"However, we still need cooperation from the public to further crack down on illegal explosives," a spokesman for the ministry said last Friday in a statement.

The spokesman said police had received more than 12,000 tips about explosives from the public by the end of last month, leading to 5,719 arrests.