Twenty-seven suspects related to the karaoke bar explosion that claimed 25 lives in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, have been arrested and will be prosecuted, the Benxi prosecutor office said on Tuesday.

 

The suspects including Wang Jingyin, the corporate representative of a local entertainment company, and Qu Jiming, the company's cashier, were accused of manufacturing, trading, transporting and storing explosives illegally, the Benxi People's Procuratorate said.

 

Wang, Qu and others have allegedly purchased, transported and stored explosives for illegal mining between March and May this year for "many times," which resulted in the July 4 explosion killing 25 people on the spot and injuring 33 others.

 

Qu Yijie, who contracted the karaoke bar of Wang's company but was previously identified as the owner of the bar, was also killed in the explosion, along with his elder brother and his elder brother's wife.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2007)