Police are hunting a man responsible for an accidental blast that killed 11 people and injured 20 in Shaanxi Province on Monday.

The blast in Houlaogaochuan Village, Fugu County, destroyed 24 houses.

It was caused by explosives stored in the village head's home, according to local police sources.

Su Yingxiang, a farmer, fled after the explosion, a police officer told China Daily yesterday.

The officer said they were now looking for him.

"Most of the victims were migrant workers building a river embankment near the village," the police officer said. "Su's wife and his grandson were also killed by the blast."

According to the officer, who refused to be identified, 20 detonators were found in the ruins of Su's house after the blast.

He said villagers claimed Su had brought more than 3 tons of explosives to his house on Sunday. "The storage of such dangerous material in residential houses is illegal," the police officer said.

The injured, 13 migrant workers and seven villagers, including two children, are all in stable conditions at the county's hospital after emergency treatment, said Wu Xiansheng, an official with the county government.

The local government has launched measures to help the villagers in the aftermath of the blast and is also checking whether explosives are being illegally stored at other houses in the county, said the official.

Source: China Daily