(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-15 16:46

KUNMING - Two more bodies have been recovered from the debris of of chemical plant in southwest China, bringing the death toll from an explosion on Sunday to seven, local authorities said.

Firefighters search for missing workers at the sulphuric acid plant in Kunming, January 13, 2008. [Xinhua]

The bodies of the two men were identified as Deng Xinggui, 38, and Hu Wanbao, both of Yunnan, said Chen Yong, secretary general of the city government of Kunming, Yunnan's capital.

"The bodies were heavily burnt and barely identifiable," said Li Guifa, a colleague of the victims who was asked to identify the bodies. Officials had to rely on DNA tests for confirmation.

The explosion happened at a sulphuric acid plant under the state-run Yuntianhua International Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese chemical fertilizer producer, at 3:52 a.m. on Sunday.

Sulphur powder exploded starting a large fire when workers were loading it in front of a store house, said investigators from the city's work safety administration.

Five people were found dead at the scene while 32 others were injured.

"Seven seriously injured, including one with 40 percent of his body burnt, are described as stable," Chen said, adding that "stable" didn't mean out of danger.

Among the 25 slightly injured, most suffered partial burns, mainly around their eyes. Under protective gauze, their eyes were red, swollen and weeping.

Dry weather was cited as the cause. Low humidity had caused the sulphur powder to gather, which incurred explosion at around midnight, an initial investigation by the task force of the Kunming government had found.

Established in Haikou town, Xishan District in western Kunming, in the 1970s, the plant was run by the Yunnan Sanhuan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yuntianhua International Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Compensation is under discussion and local government ordered an inspection among chemical industries.

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