Fireworks haul could have wrecked village

Police seized eight tonnes of fireworks yesterday - enough to level half the village where they were found.

The haul was taken from five single-storey village houses in Tai Kong Po Tung Tsuen on Kam Tin Road - 200 metres from the PLA camp at Sek Kong Barracks.

Twenty-six people from 12 households had to be evacuated when police sealed off the whole village at 1pm, the Pat Heung divisional commander, acting Chief Inspector Wong Moon-tong, said. The remaining 74 villagers were at work or school.

'Our bomb experts told us that if the explosives had gone off, all structures within a 50-metre radius would have been levelled and people killed. An area of a 100-metre radius - almost as big as the whole village - would suffer damage,' he said. Inspector Wong said an electrical fault, a discarded cigarette or a spark could have triggered an explosion.

He said the contraband had been hidden in the village for more than one month.

'Part of the consignment was intended for illegal sale to villagers in the New Territories to celebrate National Day and the remainder was to be sold around Lunar New Year,' Inspector Wong said.

After receiving a tip-off, about 100 officers raided the five houses at 10.30am. A 71-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were arrested and released on bail. A second man, aged 21, was still being detained last night.