The just-completed blasts to demolish buildings in China's Three Gorges area were successful, local sources announced Sunday in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Explosion expert Xue Fengsong said that the buildings collapsed in just a few seconds, causing no casualty.

Sources said that 3,200 holes were drilled in the power plant buildings and a 21-meter high office building. A total of 168 kg of explosives was used Sunday to tear down the buildings, as part of the efforts to clear up the reservoir area of the on-going Three Gorges Project, the world largest water control project.

The explosions were carried out by an engineering team from the University of Technology of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The team is one of the best qualified in China for conducting industrial and civil explosions. Since the explosion sites were located in densely populated areas, organizers ran an educational TV program on the local TV station for a whole week, to inform local residents about the details of the directed blasting processso as to relieve their worries.

Local people said their normal life has not been affected by the explosions.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2002)