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Fireworks blast kills two children in Henan
By Liu Zhen (China Daily Henan Bureau)
Updated: 2009-07-27 15:33

Two children were killed and three people were injured in a firecracker explosion at an illicit fireworks plant in Jiao Zuo village, in Henan province at 9:30 pm July 24th.

According to local media, the two children who died, Xu Ying'ao and Guo Shanshan were students employed illegally by the factory during their summer vacation. They were 10 and 12 years old, respectively.

The injured include an unidentified 47-year-old, and two children. One of them, a 9-year-old named Guo Longxiao, was seriously injured, and witnesses who saw his body said it was burned black by the explosion. All three have been taken to the hospital.

The blast also left a three meter wide hole in the wall of the two story factory and shattered all its windows.

There are apparently dozens of such small illegal workshops hidden in villages nearby, according to local residents of Jiao Zuo.

Local police are still investigating the cause of the accident.