42 dead, 11 injured in Sichuan gas explosion
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-23 10:42

The death toll has risen to 42 in a gas explosion at a road construction site in Dujiangyan City, Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

An injured worker receives treatment at a local hospital in Dujiangyan City, Southwest China's Sichuan Province December 22, 2005. [Xinhua]

The accident occured Thursday afternoon in a tunnel from which the highway between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan City in central Sichuan runs through, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The initial toll was put at 11, but after a night of search, rescuers found 31 more bodies, Xinhua said.

The report did not reveal the number of workers working in the tunnel at the time of the blast.

Eleven injured workers are receiving treatment at a local hospital and are all out of danger, Xinhua added. 

Several rescue teams in the province have been sent to the site and the search for victims and survivors is ongoing.

The cause of the blast is still under investigation.