Hijjah 29, 1431 / Dec. 05, 2010, SPA -- Seven people were killed and 37 injured in an Internet Cafe when chemicals exploded in an adjacent shop Saturday night in southwest China's Guizhou Province, local authorities said Sunday. The explosion happened in a shop where sodium nitrite and other explosive chemicals were stored. The 11:05 p.m. blast and ensuing fire completely destroyed the next door Internet cafe in Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture, a spokesman with Kaili municipal government told Xinhua. Six people were killed on site and one woman died of extensive burns after treatment failed Sunday afternoon in hospital. Police have detained Wu Zhanzhi for illegal possession of chemicals. The Internet cafe's boss Chen Chenggui and manager Xing Guangchang were also in police custody for questioning. Forty-five people were in the cafe when the explosion occurred. Only one of them was not injured. The rescue work had ended, and the 37 injured, including 8 seriously, were being treated in local hospitals. A statement from the Kaili municipal government said the injured people were in a stable condition. Aside from ripping through the Internet cafe, the blast also shattered windows of nearby residential buildings. A further investigation is underway.
