China blasts kill 5, death toll likely to rise

Beijing, Dec 29: Two consecutive explosions of detonators killed five and injured eight in north China and the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers searched through the rubble of flattened buildings, state media said today.

Yesterday's blasts destroyed 10 rooms in four buildings in a residential area in Jining, a remote city of 200,000 in Inner Mongolia, Xinhua news agency said.

At least three of the injured remained in critical condition, Xinhua said, quoting doctors and family members.

''Police are still investigating in the case and have not ruled out the likelihood of murder,'' it said.

Illegal production and storage of detonators often lead to fatal accidents in China.

Five people were killed in an explosion earlier this month in an illegal workshop making electronic detonators in the northern province of Hebei.

Reuters