Father, son nabbed after blast

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-22 08:50

The father and son who own a mining plant that was turned to rubble when a stash of illegal explosives detonated yesterday have been arrested, government sources said.

Rescuers inspect a blast site at the workshops of Jingxin Mining Ltd. Co. in Fengyang County, Anhui province June 21, 2009. At least 16 people were killed and 43 others injured in the factory blast in Anhui Province on Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported. The cause is under investigation. [Agencies]

As many as seven tons of illegal explosives stored in the office building of a quartz plant in Fengyang county in north Anhui province exploded at 3:17 am yesterday, killing 16 people immediately and leaving 43 injured, said the Chuzhou municipal government in a press conference yesterday.

The blast ripped through a nearby building and a workers' dormitory, causing large numbers of casualties after they collapsed.

Three victims remained in critical condition last night.

Cao Peijun, boss of the Jingxin Mining Co Ltd in Fengyang county, Chuzhou city, was captured by police fleeing with 2 million yuan ($292,000) in cash he had withdrawn from the bank.

Cao's son, one of the senior managers of the company, gave himself up to police in the afternoon.

The mining plant was completely flattened by the explosion, leaving only bricks strewn over the site. A hole 5-m deep and as wide as 10 m was visible at the scene.

Most of those killed were employees of the company, while the injured were residents living nearby. Women and children in their sleep were among the victims, reported China National Radio.

The site used to be the workshops of Jingxin Mining Co Ltd, a privately run factory that made quartz sand, the local government said.

The company, reporting 20 million yuan in fixed assets and about 100 employees, produces and processes about 300,000 tons of quartz sand every year.

Local police said the explosives, most likely used in illegal mining, are not allowed for a quartz plant of this scale and they will investigate the usage and source of the explosives.

Possessing illegal explosives is not a crime in China, despite calls from legal practitioners nationwide in recent years.

People who hide explosives and cause casualties usually get sentenced after being charged with endangering public security.

China Daily

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