THE Mayor of Shenzhen is facing increasing pressure to relocate the city's dangerous goods depots away from the Special Economic Zone after last week's explosion, sources said. They claimed residents had petitioned Li Youwei asking him to consider moving other dangerous facilities away from their homes. Some of the petitions came from families of senior cadres, sources said. Vice-premier Zou Jiahua reportedly said during his inspection last week that it was wrong to build the dangerous goods depots in the area where the explosion occurred. Even government spokesman Huang Xinhua admitted yesterday that Qingshuihe was not a suitable location because it was too close to the city centre. Sources said the Shenzhen government had long ignored safety requirements in its city planning and pointed out that a huge liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility was located next to the Qingshuihe Warehouse Zone where the explosions occurred lastweek. Several buildings adjacent to the LPG depots were badly damaged. Sources said it was lucky the LPG tanks did not explode.That ''unimaginable'' disaster was prevented in part to the tanks being equipped with an automatic temperature control system imported from Germany, they said. Although the authorities yesterday claimed the Qingshuihe area was safe, smoke could still be seen coming out of buildings wrecked in the explosions. The area was filled with a strong acidic smell and at least two fire engines were there apparently for emergency purposes. Dozens of bulldozers and dumper-trucks were also parked inside the warehouse zone and there were scores of workers wearing masks. Wasted goods such as broken glasses were scattered over the area and workers could be seen resting next to the warehouse buildings that had no roofs. Train coaches were burn-ed into unrecognisable shapes. The explosions were so strong that virtually no warehouse windows were complete. However, the Qingshuihe Yulan Company - a slaughter house - appeared to have escaped damage. Mr Huang said it had even started operating again yesterday. But he stressed that all the meat processed there was safe and the Shenzhen Commercial Inspection Bureau would make sure all meat exports from Shenzhen were ''up to our required standards''. However, local sources said it was ''quite beyond their imagination'' how the authorities could keep the contamination from spreading. One local resident said: ''People are beginning to show symptoms of the pollution. Sore throats, headaches have begun to appear.'' The authorities, however, insisted yesterday pollution was not serious and air, water and food supplies were safe. ''Based on the air samples collected across the city, we have found no evidence of serious contamination so far,'' Mr Huang said.