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Minnie Chan

Mainland officials raised the death toll from a Lunar New Year fireworks warehouse explosion in Anyang, Henan province, from 16 to 36 yesterday.

The news came as villagers made renewed calls for officials to move the fireworks industry and enforce safety standards.

The blast also injured hundreds, with seven listed in critical condition last night, according to the State Administration of Work Safety Supervision.

A statement from the administration said director Li Yizhong had personally directed the rescue work from Beijing and issued six guidelines aimed at preventing further explosions.

Mr Li also sent a deputy director specialising in crisis management to Henan in order to support the rescue work. The administration said the deputy director had met Deputy Henan Governor Liu Sinming and local work safety officials at the scene of the blast in Linzhou, a county-level city under the administration of Anyang.

A villager who lives 6km away yesterday said the explosion, which occurred at 3pm on Sunday, shattered windows in many homes in  five neighbouring villages. 'It sounded like an atomic bomb had gone off. People living within an area of 20 sq km were all shocked by the deafening explosion,' he said.

The villager said people had asked local officials to ban firework factories several years ago to protect residents' safety, but the pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

He said villagers now hoped that the local government would change its attitude. 'We are all very scared and angry because it was not the first time fireworks ignited in our town. At least five explosions occurred before, with each blast killing one to three people,' he said.

The villager said about two dozen victims died at the scene. Most of the victims were sent to Linzhou's No1 People's Hospital and No2  People's Hospital, while others were treated in Linqi Town Hospital.

A staff member at the Linzhou No1  People's Hospital said it had received several dozen victims,  some of whom were severely injured. Xinhua said many of the victims of Sunday's blast were devout Buddhists who had been burning incense and praying at a temple just 30 metres from the  warehouse.

In Beijing, where a 12-year ban on Lunar New Year fireworks had just been lifted, the government reported 112 people were treated at hospital emergency rooms over the weekend for fireworks-related injuries.

Seventeen people suffered serious eye injuries, the State Administration of Work Safety said.



Villagers scared and angry as fireworks blast toll hits 36