Five people were suffocated on May 19 by hydrogen sulphide emitted by a brewery effluent pool in Handan City, in north China's Hebei Province, according to sources from the provincial epidemic prevention department.

At around 3:00 PM last Thursday, two workers at the Congtai Brewery were choked by the gas as they checked equipment and facilities. Four other workers and fire fighters were affected whilst trying to rescue them.

A total of seven people suffered from the gas' effects and were rushed for emergency treatment, five of whom died in hospital.

Investigation by the local epidemic prevention and control department found high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the effluent pool, which was determined to be the cause of the deaths.

Also in Hebei, local hospital sources said that Sun Jisheng, the sole known survivor of a coal mine blast on May 19, was out of critical condition early on Monday.

Sources from the No.226 People's Liberation Army Hospital said Sun's body temperature, pulse and blood pressure were all stable.

Sun was sent to the hospital early on Saturday after being trapped more than 50 hours in Nuan'erhe Coal Mine in Chengde City. The explosion has left 45 dead and five missing.

(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2005)