Blast kills 19 workers in Hunan province

CHINA: A tunnel blast has killed 19 workers at a central Chinese highway construction site, officials said yesterday.

The official Xinhua news agency said the blast occurred when a vehicle was unloading explosives in the tunnel of a road being built between Yanling and Rucheng in Hunan province.

Two officials from the province’s work safety bureau said the explosion had killed 19 people and injured another person.

Accidents and explosions are common in China due to weak safety standards and lax building practices.

In November, a massive explosion near an expressway ramp in south-western China killed at least seven people and injured about 200.

That blast was caused by three explosives-laden vehicles which caught fire and also destroyed a garage and a food warehouse.