Santos, Dec. 20.
At least 25 persons were believed to have been killed ina series of Jexplosions which blew the Swedish freighter Butt Marie to pieces in the harbour here to-day.
The force of the blast rocked the Jeity and ignited the dock and warehouses in the immediate vicinity. The ship's super-structure was hurled into the air. Fragments of wood and iron fell as far as 500 yards away, throw-Jing waterfront residents Into 2 panic. Windows in buildings over a wide area were completely shattered by the explosion.
'The vessel, which sank within tve minutes, was, carrying _a cargo of [saltpetre and' sulphur. "The cause of [the explosion was not learned.
Late to-day, six bodies were re-Jcovered from' the water, including those of three members of the crew and three stevedores—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.