Death toll rises to 44 in SW China gas explosion
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-24 16:45

Forty-four people were confirmed dead and 11 others injured in the gas explosion at a road construction site in Sichuan Province as of Saturday, according to the provincial work safety watchdog.

The blast occurred at 2 p.m. Thursday in a tunnel of a highway under construction between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan cities in the province.

Most of the victims were construction workers. Two bodies were discovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 44.

The 11 injured were hospitalized, and two of them in critical condition are out of life danger.