Chain blasts in fireworks village kill 2
By Yuan Wu (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-12 05:44

Mishandling of explosives was blamed for a chain of blasts in which two people died on Monday in a village known for making fireworks in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"The chain blast was caused by a family mishandling the explosive material," Yun Zhongyi, a member of the local Communist Party's Standing Committee, was quoted as saying by the Inner Mongolia Morning News.

The accident happened around 7:30 am on Monday in Chaohao village in Hohhot, the region's capital, the newspaper reported.

"Because the spot has not been cleared up, no exact number of casualties is available," Yun said. "It is estimated that two residents died during the chain explosion. Five other residents were receiving the treatment in the hospital."

Smoke and the smell of gunpowder hovered over the village yesterday, the newspaper said.

Among the approximately 1,000 households in the village, at least four-fifths of the families make a living by producing fireworks. Every house is like an ammunition depot on a small scale. Once the explosive material in one house was ignited, it easily led to a chain reaction, the paper said.

A villager with the surname Zhao told the local newspaper that when the accident occurred, he was farming his land and heard two big noises, like thunder. With his years of experience, he knew that a serious accident had taken place.

Zhao also said that it was lucky his family did not participate in firecracker making. His only loss was pieces of broken window glass.

However, most families in the village were not as lucky. More than half of the houses were destroyed in the explosions. Most windows were shattered, the newspaper said.

Villagers dared not stay at home. They had to stay far from their houses, ready to escape from the next explosion at any time. Some villagers even slept in the fields outside the village, the newspaper said.

A 60-year-old woman told the newspaper that due to years of drought, her family could not make a living by farming, so they turned to making fireworks. "Now even our house has been blown up. How can we spend the rest of our lives?" she cried.

After the accident, the rescue team and fire brigade rushed to the spot. The five villagers sent to hospital were reported to be in a stable condition.

A firefighter said that once they arrived, they never stopped working. His firefighting team alone used 40 tons of water. But because of the continual blasts, they could not get near to the houses on fire.

(China Daily 10/12/2005 page2)