Blast in Guizhou Internet cafe kills 7; chemicals stored next door

The site of an explosion at an internet cafe in downtown Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao- Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Seven were killed and 37 were injured in Saturday's explosion. Photo: IC
An Internet café exploded in southwest Guizhou Province on Saturday night, killing at least seven people, injuring 37 and displacing several families, local authorities said Sunday.

In all, 19 households, living near the explosion, had to be moved to local hotels after their five-story building was blackened and damaged by the blast - caused by explosive chemicals being kept next door.

The Kaili city government promised, Sunday at a press conference, to compensate the families of the deceased with 60,000 yuan (about $9,000) each, including funeral costs, and to pay for all the treatment for the injured victims, including eight in critical condition. Local authorities also decided to compensate the injured with 1,500 yuan ($225) each.

The explosion occurred at around 11:05 pm Saturday in the downtown area of Kaili, the Xinhua News Agency quoted the Guizhou provincial Public Security Department as saying.

Three bags of chemicals were leaning against the south wall in a small room that was separated from the Internet café by one thin wall. Police said they also found chemicals such as nitric acid on the floor.

There was no word by police as to why dangerous chemicals were allowed to be stored in a downtown residence, but the investigation was continuing Sunday.

Chen Chenggui and Xing Guangchang, the owners of the café, were taken into police custody. Wu Zhanzhi, the alleged owner of the dangerous chemicals, was detained early Sunday morning, according to Xinhua.

The café, which has 140 computers, had been operating for several years, and about 45 people were using the Internet before the explosion. Witnesses told the Global Times that the café stayed open day and night.

"I was in my apartment about 600 meters away from the Internet café. I heard the sound of an enormous explosion and glass dropped down," Tang Jianhui, a witness, told the Global Times Sunday.

By Wang Zhiqiu in Kaili and Liu Linlin in Beijing, Global Times
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