Court upholds sentences for deadly fireworks blast

ZHENGZHOU - A Chinese court on Tuesday rejected the appeals of four people who received sentences ranging from three and half years in prison to a suspended death penalty over the deadly explosion of a truck carrying illegally-produced fireworks in 2013.

Eight people had been sentenced for involvement in the incident on Feb. 1, 2013, when a truck loaded with over 12 tonnes of fireworks exploded on a viaduct of the Lianhuo Expressway in Henan Province, killing 14 and injuring eight others.

Four of them filed an appeal to the Henan Provincial Higher People's Court.

In rulings handed down on Nov. 11, 2015, the Intermediate People's Court of Sanmenxia City in Henan sentenced Zhang Genlin to a death sentence suspended for two years and fined him 200,000 yuan (30,520 U.S. dollars), while Xue Yunfang received life imprisonment and was fined 200,000 yuan. Zhai Gongchang was given a 14-year jail term and fined 100,000 yuan. The three were convicted of illegally manufacturing explosives and counterfeiting registered trademarks.

Guo Zhuanling received a jail term of three and a half years for causing an accident with dangerous substances.

The other four, who were convicted of causing an accident with dangerous substances or counterfeiting registered trademarks, did not appeal against their sentences of up to three years in prison.

Investigations found that the fireworks were illegally produced by a firm jointly operated by Zhang and Xue and transported by three other defendants including Guo using an unlicensed truck. The vehicle was overloaded by 108 percent when the blast occurred.