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House explosion kills 2, injures 5 in SW China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-18 17:56
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YIBIN, Sichuan: An explosion that leveled a single-story house in southwest China's Sichuan Province left two people dead and five injured, local authorities said Friday.

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The accident took place at about 5:40 p.m. Thursday in Gongquan Township, Gongxian County, a county government spokesman said.

The injured people were being treated at local hospitals, he said.

Neighbors said the house, covering about 100 square meters, was owned by a former pharmaceutical company, but had been rented out as accommodation.

"I heard a big 'bang' hundreds of meters away when the explosion happened. The windows of some nearby houses were shattered," said a witness surnamed Li.

It was not immediately known how many people were inside the house when the explosion occurred.

Local authorities have evacuated about 280 residents from 70 families who live around the destroyed house.

Police are investigating the cause of the explosion.
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