9 on trial over fatal explosion in south China

Nine suspects stood trial Monday over a warehouse explosion that killed 8 and injured 36 in south China's Guangdong Province last year.
Among the suspects were seven Chinese nationals, including the warehouse owner, contractors and subcontractors, the Jordanian owner of the explosive goods and a Palestinian who helped destroy evidence after the blast.
They were accused of illegal storage and transportation of explosives and destruction of evidence, the Intermediate People's Court in Guangzhou said in a statement.
The court began a public hearing on Monday, which was expected to last two days.
The blast happened on Sept. 10, 2013, in a roadside warehouse in Guangzhou's Baiyun District when workers were unloading goods from a container truck.
An investigation showed the goods unloaded were fireworks and bullets with powder for toy pistols, the production and circulation of which are forbidden in China.
The pistols, packaged under the name "8 shot plastic disc cap," contained powder made of potassium chlorate and red phosphorus. They are also classified as fireworks, whose production and storage should be under strict supervision, according to police.
The warehouse, however, was not qualified to store dangerous goods like fireworks.
The explosion incurred 21.9 million yuan (3.5 million U.S. dollars) in economic losses, the court said.