The 41 people who were injured by a blast at a karaoke parlor in northeast China's Liaoning Province are recovering in a stable condition in nearby hospitals, local health authorities announced.

Four people are in a serious condition, while 37 others suffered broken ribs, various fractures and chest injuries, stated the supervising doctor.

One seriously wounded person has been transferred to Benxi City Central Hospital, with the others variously hospitalized at the Benxi County No. 1 hospital or at a hospital in Tianshifu Township, said Jiang Yongcheng, deputy director of the Benxi County Health Bureau.

Liaoning provincial authorities have sent a team of a dozen medical experts to Benxi County to aid the treatment.

The explosion happened at a karaoke parlor in Tianshifu Township in the Manchu Nationality Benxi Autonomous County in China's industrial rust belt on Wednesday night, killing 25 on the spot. The blast destroyed the two-storey and damaged some nearby buildings. 

While the parlor's manager was numbered among the dead, his wife and several employees are being interviewed.

Although little information is available so far on the cause of the blast, the Beijing News reported that explosives had been stored in the basement for use in the owner Qu Hua's other business, a coal mine. The paper also counted that guests at a birthday party and students celebrating the end of their exams had been among the dead.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2007)