5 dead in car accident

FIVE people were killed in a road accident yesterday in Guangdong Province, according to local authorities.

The public security bureau of the city of Qingyuan said that the accident occurred early yesterday morning when a seven-seat minibus collided with a heavy semi-trailer at an expressway section in the county-level city of Lianzhou.

Three people were found dead at the scene, and another one died after on-site first-aid failed. The other person, who suffered serious injuries, died in hospital.

Further investigation is under way.

Factory blast kills 6

THE death toll has risen to six as of 7 a.m. yesterday after a flash explosion at a chemical plant Monday in Central China’s Hubei Province, local authorities said.

Four others were wounded, with their injuries not considered life-threatening.

The accident happened at around 5:30 p.m. Monday in a workshop of an organic silicon company in the city of Xiantao.

The fire was put out at 7 p.m. Monday, according to the city’s publicity department.

The company has stopped production for an overhaul, and investigation is under way.

Criminal network

THE China Coast Guard has busted a major criminal network suspected of smuggling goods worth 12.3 billion yuan (US$1.76 billion) since 2019.

It was comprised of eight criminal groups with various roles along the smuggling chain, including goods procurement, transit and distribution.

The coast guard cooperated with public security authorities for the operation, which saw the seizure of a foreign “mother ship,” a domestic barge, 6,600 tons of smuggled white sugar, and 15 vehicles, as well as the arrest of 50 criminal suspects.