Death toll climbs to 9 in SW China blast

Another injured person in an explosion in southwestern Guizhou province died in a hospital on Saturday, bringing the accident's death toll to nine, local authorities said. Four of the 219 injured people remain in critical condition, while 81 have been discharged from hospital, said the publicity bureau of the city of Fuquan, where the accident happened Tuesday. Two cargo trucks loaded with about 70 metric tons of explosives blew up in front of a motor vehicle testing station on Tuesday morning in Fuquan, about 100 km from Guizhou's capital of Guiyang. Seven people were immediately killed and over 200 others were injured. One injured bystander died in hospital Wednesday, pushing the death toll from seven to eight. The powerful blast also damaged some 5,200 nearby houses and other facilities, forcing residents to live in temporary tents. Six schools, which accommodate 6,000 students, were also closed for over two days for safety checks. As of Saturday, the city government has earmarked 10 million yuan (1.6 million U.S. dollars) to the relief efforts and the reconstruction.