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Police Double Rewards to Catch Blast Suspect
Police say they are still hunting the person or persons responsible for the four explosions that killed 108 people and injured 38 in the city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province on Friday.
The city's Public Security Bureau issued a notice on Sunday saying that Jin Ruchao, a 41-year-old deaf man, is suspected of setting off the deadly blasts. Jin is now wanted by the Ministry of Public Security for "especially serious crimes."
The notice also offered a reward of 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) to people who provide clues which lead to the capture of the suspect, double the figure offered by the Ministry of Public Security.
No valuable clues have so far been reported to the police through the bureau's hotline, an unnamed officer said Monday.
An earlier "wanted" circular from the Ministry of Public Security had not directly linked Jin, a resident of the No 16 building which was totally destroyed in the blast, with the explosions. They did say he was suspected of killing a woman in South China's Yunnan Province on March 9.
Jin was jailed for 10 years in 1988 for rape, West China City Daily (Huaxi Dushi Bao) reported Monday. The paper also said the four targeted sites all had connections with Jin in being the residences of his families, relatives and ex-wife.
All 38 people injured in the explosions have received prompt treatment and five of the seriously injured have been declared out of danger, according to local hospital sources.
Fifteen of the injured have been discharged from hospital and another 11 seriously injured are being treated by medical experts from local hospitals and Beijing, backed up with the best medical resources available.
The Shijiazhuang municipal government has put aside a special fund to cover medical expenses and the funeral costs of those killed in the blasts.
The No 3 Cotton Mill has begun to deal with the aftermath of the explosion.
Each victim's family has received a temporary "living allowance" of 5,000 yuan (US$603) from the factory, said sources close to the mill.
One said the Changshan Group, which owns the mill, has offered hostel accommodation to those who were on night shift as the explosions took place and lost their homes.
Relatives of the victims from outside the city have also been accommodated and given food, said one source.
Factory officials held a meeting on Sunday with victims' relatives to discuss compensation, although the details have not been released.
The blast scene was still being cleared up to calculate the cost of the damage, said one source.
Yucai Street, where the No 16 building is located, is still cordoned off by police.
The explosions occurred at around 5 am on March 16 in four places, including the residential buildings of the No 3 Cotton Mill of Shijiazhuang .
Local police said the explosions were criminal, judging by the findings of preliminary investigations.
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