Blast destroys Chinese apartment building

An explosion destroyed a three­story apartment building in southern China where a teenager had hidden stolen explosives, a local official and state media said Wednesday. At least six people were killed.

An explosion destroyed a three­story apartment building in southern China where a teenager had hidden stolen explosives, a local official and state media said Wednesday. At least six people were killed.

The cause of the blast at 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday in the village of Rongxian in the Guangxi region is under investigation, said a local fire official. He would give only his surname, Wu.

The web site of the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily cited local police who said a 15­year­old had hidden 98 kilograms of stolen explosives in the building.

The student apparently was preparing for a fight with other teenagers, the report said. It didn't identify the 15­year­old, or say whether he was among the dead.

Explosives are widely available in China, and deaths in explosions blamed on accidents and criminal attacks are reported frequently.

The government ordered controls on explosives tightened after blasts blamed on a man with a grudge killed 108 people in the central city of Shijiazhuang last March.