Man Charged in Blast That Killed Scores
From Times Wire Reports
A man has been charged with setting off an explosion that killed scores of villagers in China’s northwest, a government newspaper said.
Ma Hongqing, an illegal explosives maker, blew up a rival’s stock after failing to steal it, the paper said.
The predawn explosion July 16 knocked down houses and crushed sleeping families in Mafang, a village in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. The Huashang Daily said 80 people were killed, though earlier accounts put the death toll at 69.
Ma, 51, could face the death penalty if convicted, the newspaper said.
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