Six people, who were accountable for the firework plant blast that killed 17 in August, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to five years by a court in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a local court official said on Sunday.

Xu Hua and Wang Zhengyuan, owners of the plant, were sentenced to five years in jail and Yu Ze'en, who was in charge of the plant safety, was sentenced to four years, said the official of the People's Court of Aohan Banner.

Other three workers, namely Wei Hongliang, Wang Wenqiang and Liu Yongxue, were imprisoned for three to three and a half years respectively.

The defendant Wei Hongliang said he would appeal to the Intermediate People's Court of Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia, the official said.

Violation of safety regulations was blamed for the blast that happened at Xinxin Firework Plant in Sijiazi Township of Aohan Banner on Aug. 30. The blast killed 17 people and injured three. It also destroyed about 50 workshops.

Twenty-two workers at the site escaped unhurt.

The accident was the worst amid a series of explosions since October 2005 in this township of Sijizi, Aohan Banner in Chifeng City.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2008)