Shipyard explosion kills five in S. China

Five were killed and six others injured Thursday in an explosion at a shipyard in south China's Guangdong Province.

The blast occurred at about 3:50 p.m. local time in Fanyu district, which is about 14 kilometers south of the provincial capital of Guangzhou, during construction work on a 4,250-ton capacity ship.

Three workers who were painting the ship died on the spot and two others passed away later in the hospital.

Unidentified sources revealed that a collapsed wall had caused casualties in the shipyard half a month ago.

Guangzhou municipal security supervision bureau has ordered a suspension of operation in the dockyard, pledging to punish those responsible for the incident.

Investigation into the causes of the tragedy is underway.

Source: Xinhua