Beijing: Twenty-two people were killed and 10 injured in a firecracker explosion in northwest China, state media reported early today.
The blast occurred at about 7:00 pm (local time) as authorities in Turpan, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, tried to dispose of the explosives in the desert about eight kilometres outside the city, local officials told Xinhua news agency.
The injured have been taken to hospital, Xinhua said. The fire has been extinguished, and investigation is underway, it said, giving no further details.
