China's public security departments were ordered on Friday to
tighten control of explosives after a fatal karaoke blast in
northeast China, according to a meeting of the Ministry of Public
Security.
Locals were shocked by the blast in Benxi of northeast China's
Liaoning Province on July 4, which killed 25
people.
Earlier reports said that the owner of the karaoke bar was also
a coal mine boss who stored explosives in the basement of the
club.
Liu Jinguo, vice minister of Public Security, expressed concern
about explosives incidents in the lead-up to the 17th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 2008 Olympics.
Liu said local public security departments should check "all
units" which have explosives and eliminate hidden dangers related
to the storage and management of explosives.
Local departments should take a serious attitude to the illegal
production, storage and transport of explosives, he said.
The north of China is dotted with small coal mines, many of them
illegal, which often use explosives.
Crimes committed with explosives should be severely punished,
Liu said.
He also said the heads of local public security departments
should resign their posts if major explosive incidents happen
because of their dereliction of duty.
The ministry will send inspection teams to supervise the work,
according to the meeting.
The blast that occurred on the evening of July 4 at the Tianying
karaoke bar in Benxi Manchu Autonomous County in Liaoning Province
killed 25 people and injured 41. The huge explosion leveled the
two-storey entertainment venue and damaged nearly 500 nearby
houses.
Investigators said the blast was caused by explosives secretly
stored by the bar owner and coal mine boss Qu Yijie, who was
himself killed in the explosion.
(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2007)