Three people were confirmed dead and four others were injured on Wednesday when explosives went offin a residential building in north China's Shanxi Province.

The blast occurred at around noon in a two-story building in Dongzhao Lane of Yaodu District in the city of Linfen, bringing down the whole building and damaging at least two adjacent houses,local rescuers told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Thursday.

Rescuers dug out five people from under the rubbles shortly after the incident, two of whom were found to have died already. Asecond blast occurred in the rubbles at 1:26 PM, injuring an armed policeman who was taking part in the rescue work.

A third dead body, of a female, was found at 4:30 PM Wednesday at the blast site. One of the survivors said there were seven people in the building when the blast occurred.

Search and rescue work is still going on Thursday.

Investigators found several hundred detonator fuses at the site,and suspected that the victims were either holding or making explosives illegally. Further investigation is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2006)