Nine people missing after a blast in an explosives plant in Zhaoyuan, a city in east China's Shandong Province on Saturday, have been confirmed dead, bringing the total number of deaths in the incident to 29.

 

The blast occurred at a packing workshop of No.761 Explosives Co Ltd in Liuxian Village at 7:05 PM Saturday when 31 employees were working at the site. Twenty were killed instantly and two others were injured and hospitalized. These two injured were in stable condition, a hospital source said.

 

 

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

 

Established in 1976, the explosives plant, a privately-owned share-holding business, employs 600 workers. The plant produces 15,000 tons of explosives annually and sells it to nearby mines. Zhaoyuan is a major gold production base in China, which uses large amounts of explosives annually.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2006)