China approve arrest of official for drunk-driving
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County prosecutors in central China's Henan Province have approved the arrest of an official after he killed five teenagers while driving drunk Sunday night, said local authorities Tuesday.
The People's Procuratorate of Luoning County, administered by Luoyang City in Henan, approved the arrest of Gu Qingyang, the county's post office chief, on the charge of endangering public security, said a spokesman with the Luoyang City Committee of the Communist Party of China.
At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Gu, who was under the influence of alcohol, reversed a car belonging to the post office and hit five of seven teenagers walking on the road, said local police.
The five victims were aged 13 to 15. Three of them were killed at the scene, while the other two died later in the hospital, police said.
"I felt a blast of wind at my side. When I turned around, I saw five of my friends knocked to the ground," a survivor, surnamed Li, was quoted as saying.
Police investigators said Gu parked the car some 280 meters from the spot where he hit the first teenager. They are further probing into the case.
More than 14,000 people had expressed their anger over the incident online by Tuesday noon on the popular Chinese web portal Sina.
The tragedy occurred less than two months after a local official's son in north China's Hebei Province killed a college girl in a drunk-driving hit-and-run case.
Li Qiming, 22, was alleged to have said "Sue me if you dare. My father is Li Gang" when stopped by a crowd. Li's father is a deputy district police chief in Baoding City. Internet users responded by mocking the Li family and slamming the corrupt behavior of officials in a flurry of sarcastic jokes.
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