The death toll from a fireworks explosion in the city of Turpan, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Wednesday has risen to 25, after three people succumbed to their injuries in hospital, an official said yesterday.
Twenty-two people died at the scene, and 10 others were injured, said Zheng Qiang, deputy secretary of the Turpan Prefectural Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Five people are still missing, he said.
The incident happened at about 7 pm, when police officers were attempting to dispose of eight truckloads of confiscated fireworks in the Gobi desert, near the Turpan tollgate of national highway 202.
Although the identities of the victims have yet to be released, they are believed to have been mostly police officers, staff of an explosives dismantling firm and journalists covering the event. Two of those killed are known to be a journalist with the Turpan Radio Station and a cameraman from a local TV station.
One of the people injured in the blast died en route to the hospital, while two others died undergoing surgery at the Turpan Prefecture People's Hospital, Zheng added.
Two people remain in critical condition, but five others are out of danger, doctors said.
Rescue teams at the site of the blast have been collecting body parts from the debris and DNA tests are being carried out to identify the victims.
An official with the local work safety bureau, who declined to be named, said: "The firecrackers had been confiscated from a producer in Qiatekele."
Questions:
1. What were police officers trying to do in the Gobi Desert?
2. Who were believed to be those among the dead?
3. How many people are still missing?
Answers:
1.They were trying to dispose of confiscated fireworks.
2.Police, staff of an explosives dismantling firm and journalists.
3.Five.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
