Two men sentenced to death for fatal internet fire

Two men have been sentenced to death for a fatal arson at an internet cafe last year in Pingdingshan City in central China's Henan Province in which two people died and 25 others were injured.

Defendants Sun Peng and Wang Hongkun have appealed after the Pingdingshan Intermediate People's Court handed down a death sentence on Dec. 30, court officials said on Friday.

The fire broke out at about 1:00 a.m. on June 4, 2006 at the Haoyue internet cafe in the downtown area.

A total of 27 people, all youths, were injured and had to be treated in nearby hospitals. Twelve of the injured were in critical condition and two of them subsequently died.

The court said Sun, 22, bore the principal responsibility for the crime. He and Wang poured out a barrel of gasoline at the door of the internet Cafe and set fire to it by throwing lit chopsticks onto the fuel. They escaped from the site after the crime.

The criminals allegedly set fire to the internet cafe in revenge for business conflicts between Haoyue and another internet Cafe owned by Sun's relatives.

Source: Xinhua