The toll from a powerful explosion in China rose to 14 dead and 147 injured yesterday, state media said, as authorities censored discussion of the incident online.
Monday’s blast in Xinmin, in the northern province of Shaanxi, tore through five prefabricated buildings, destroying or damaging 58 others, Xinhua news agency reported.
It might have been caused by illegally stored explosives, an initial investigation found.
Photo: Reuters
Pictures showed widespread damage, with windows blown out of buildings, a crater in the street, and bloodied victims lying on the ground.
Rescue efforts had concluded by yesterday morning, and more than 100 of the injured were still hospitalized, Xinhua said, citing local authorities.
The explosion comes at a time of heightened vigilance for the Chinese Communist Party, which is holding a high-level meeting in Beijing, known as the Sixth Plenum.
Outraged social media users said that there were comparatively few reports on the incident available online, and others had been deleted, with comments on many platforms disabled.
“They’ve closed off discussion of the incident and don’t dare reveal the numbers of casualties and deaths,” one netizen wrote. “Such a big incident, and they’re preparing to quash it under pressure.”
Another wrote: “The one-party dictatorship that controls the throne is only interested in the good of the party, not of the people! Where is China’s future?”
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