Blast kills 10, hurts over 150 in China

BEIJING — At least 10 people were killed and more than 150 wounded when a blast tore apart a neighborhood Monday in a small town in northwestern China, battering nearby homes, shattering windows and sending residents streaming from the smoking ruins.

The explosion occurred in the afternoon in a town in Fugu County, Shaanxi province, and by late in the night rescuers had counted 157 wounded, including 113 who remained hospitalized, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported. Eleven of the wounded were in intensive care, and rescuers continued searching for anyone buried under wreckage. Six people had been pulled out of the debris earlier, said Huashan News, a Shaanxi website.

Investigators said they were still assessing what caused the explosion in Xinmin Town. There was no suggestion that they suspected it was deliberate.

Residents said they suspected that the explosion involved mine explosives illegally stored in a makeshift hut near homes and a hospital, Huashan News said.