The toll was expected to rise after the blast which erupted in the central part of the two-storey building where an estimated 200 school children and teachers were working in the small town of Tanbu, Wanzai County in the eastern province of Jiangxi.

More than 30 people were injured -- burned, crushed or both -- in addition to the 41 dead, hospital officials said.

"We transferred nine seriously injured to county hospitals and there might be one or two more deaths among those whose conditions are more grave," said a hospital official in Tanbu, which is in Wanzai county.

County officials said they believed fireworks were responsible for the blast and were awaiting confirmation from investigators.

"Most probably it is because of firecrackers, but a final result will come out after investigators convene this (Wednesday) morning. I don't know right now how they could cause this explosion," a Wanzai County government spokesman said.

A Wanzai county hospital official said he was not aware of any fireworks factories or oil depots near the school.

However, details of the rescue work were thin, partly because of poor communications in the remote area.

A Wanzai county police official said officers rushed to Tanbu to help at the scene but were not contactable on their mobile phones.

"We don't have any new information. We can't reach them, their phones don't work there," he said.

The Wanzai County fire department was not immediately contactable because the phone had been switched off.

"This line is out of service due to failure to pay the phone bill," a recording tells anyone trying to get in touch with the department.

(China Daily 03/07/2001)