A fight with home-made guns took place on the southern outskirts of Beijing on Saturday afternoon, injuring at least nine people, four of whom are still hospitalized.

A dozen suspects have been detained by local police of Daxing District, Beijing News reported Tuesday.

The wounded suspects were sent to the Renhe Hospital after the two parties involved fought when one party shot the other with shrapnel, the report quoted a witness as saying.

Five of the injured who had minor wounds were taken away by police after receiving preliminary treatment.

The other four are still hospitalized in the heart and chest surgical department.

Doctors with the department said two of the four patients have severe gunshot wounds in their lungs, with one suffering pulmonary emphysema and still in critical condition.

The other two have bullet wounds mainly in their faces, chests and legs.

Doctors said the wounds were all caused by many small steel balls shot from shrapnel guns.

The four hospitalized are young men in their 20s, thought to be natives from Liaoning Province in Northeast China, judged by their accents.

Several policemen are closely guarding the wards around the clock.

An insider said one party came to an office building where the other party was working in the afternoon of September 11. But they suffered gunshots when they arrived at the building's gate.

The local police of Daxing District said the case was under investigation and refused to tell any details.

The Beijing Times reported the gunfire happened at the Beiputuo Film and Television City in Daxing.

(China Daily September 15, 2004)