A man was given death penalty for blowing up a government office and injuring 18 people, according to sources with a local court in central China's Hunan Province, on Saturday.

Tian Kaiyou, being convicted on blast charges, was also deprived of lifetime political rights, but he had already appealed to the court.

The court said Tian was found guilty of blowing up, injuring people, jeopardizing public security and property. It called his crime "extremely severe".

The man, dissatisfied over the lawful demolition of his illegal buildings, drove a three-wheeled vehicle into the government building in Xixiping neighbourhood on July 2.

The vehicle with two already lit cooking gas bottles sped into the courtyard and exploded in front of the office building. The blast injured 18 people, three of whom severely, and incurred 263,382 yuan (about 35,117 USdollars) worth of direct losses.

Police seized Tian shortly after the blast.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2008)