Twenty people including five police officers were killed in two fireworks explosions in the capital of central China's Hubei Province Tuesday.
Three people were killed in a fireworks explosion in an illegal private fireworks plant in Huangpi District of Wuhan City in the daytime.
At 22:00, a group of over 20 local government officials and police raided a local village in Liji Town, Huangpi, to confiscate fireworks from farmer-turned vendors, when a second explosion occurred in the house of Liu Xiaowang, a dealer who hid some fireworks, killing 17 people, including five police officers, and injuring seven others. Liu's house was leveled to the ground and a police car was destroyed.
Liu, the suspect, has gone into hiding.
Meanwhile, the police have confiscated and destroyed the fireworks captured from Liu's neighbors.
According to local police, local villagers have for long been involved in illegal production of fireworks, though the police have carried out crackdowns for many times.
(Xinhua News Agency 09/19/2001)
