Illegal storage and production of explosives have led to four
blasts in May, killing 16 people and leaving 18 others injured,
China's Ministry of Public Security announced on Monday.
All the accidents happened in rural areas, the ministry said,
adding that two of them, which killed nine people in Hunan and Hebei provinces were caused by the
self-ignition of the explosives illegally kept by coal mine owners
and villagers.
Another explosion, which killed four, happened at a villager's
home in Henan Province as the village was trying to
make a detonator.
The other one, which killed three in Shanxi Province, was still under
investigation, the ministry said.
The ministry said that it has asked local authorities to tighten
check against illegal possession and production of explosives,
especially in the coal-rich areas, to prevent such accidents in the
future.
The ministry also asked relevant agencies to improve control
over the raw materials that might be used to make explosive,
including ammonium nitrate.
China's police have confiscated a total of 12,350 tons of
explosives and 502,000 guns in the past five years. The number of
explosion and gun violence cases has dropped in recent years,
thanks to several national campaigns.
(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2007)