Fireworks blast kills 22 in China

Twenty-two people were killed and 10 injured in a firecracker explosion in north-west China, state media reported early Thursday.
The blast occurred at about 7:00 pm (1100 GMT) as authorities in Turpan, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, tried to dispose of the explosives in the desert about eight kilometres (five miles) outside the city, local officials told Xinhua news agency. The injured have been taken to hospital, Xinhua said. The fire has been extinguished, and investigation is underway, it said, giving no further details.