WO persons were Killed and five received injuries in an explosion which demolished @ two-storey Chinese house at No. 4 Passage 182, Amoy Road, at 10.20 a.m. on Friday. Settlement firemen and police who hurried to the scene found amongst the wreckage large quantities of drugs, chemicals, and equipment such as would be set up In & modern narcotics manufacturing plant.
Later in the day, the police raided a warehouse in Canton Road in which a large supply of drugs, chemicals, and paraphernalia was found. The seizure is believed to be one of the biggest in the Settlement in recent years.
The explosion, which could be heard several blocks away from the scene, was followed by a fire, causing a panic in the vicinity. All the Chinese shops in Chekiang Road between Amoy Road and the Soochow Greek, which resumed business that day after a four-day: China New Year holiday, closed their doors again, and the tram service and cther traffic in the street had {o be suspended for about two hours.
While the firersen were busily engaged amongst the wreckage in the of the cost of the narcotics seized cam densely populated alleyway, the!
Police Reserve Unit threw a cordon The house demolished In the ex. around the block, Under the com plosion stood at the end of a row of mand of Capt, J. G. Dyson, the ex-Chinese brick dwellings, all of which trleation work by the firemen con-are two storeys high. Each is divided tinued throughout the day. Severs) Into three portions, with a big yard policemen were stationed around the Ju front of the house surrountied bs Fulne last night, while the Reserve rooms on three sides." The article:? Unit ts expected to be on duty there found in the debris, including boilers again to-day. retorts, containers, radiators, drums ether tins, ete, practically all new With the exception of a tine smith who was hurt while repairing ed the police io the belief that the house had Just been Aited up for 2 water pipe at the ack of a shop dir-actly opposite the wrecked house, the: narcotics manufacturing plant. The theory was advanced that one of the Injured persons all were rescued from employees was testing the equipment the wreckage, One dend body, with sri the ground floor when some chem! the head badly mutilated, was reals caught fire, causing an explosion covered in the morning, while another was extricated from the ruins in the The house was rented to a Chinese about a month ago, afternoon, If their condition permits the four injured men are. to be] With the exception of the house brought before the First Special Dis-which was virtually blown to pieces, trict Court this morning. and an adjoining house, the wall of which was torn off in the explosion, Heroin suspected very Isttle damage was done in the neighbourhood beyond tLe shattering Almost immediately after the a few window-panes in the shock. explosion, high Municipal and Police When an alarm was received, the officials visited the scene, and pack Setilement Fire Brigade sent ight ages of drugs, believed 19 be heroin, machines to the scene, together with were sent to the Health Department! three ambulances. The fire lasted for analysis, A thorough invest only for a few minutes. ton also will be made of the seizures In the warehouse, Until such _ex-'The Police Raid aminations are concluded, no estimate Later in the afternoon, three of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.