Xinhua
April 24, 2002

Police found a truck parked at a wharf near the dam to be carrying a potentially explosive load.

Wuhan: Nine tons of firecrackers were ferreted out Friday at a shipment wharf near the Three Gorges dam, located in central China’s Hubei Province, local police said Sunday. The firecrackers were seized by police from a truck which parked at a roll-on roll-off wharf at the Zigui port and was bound for Wanzhou City of southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality for sale. The driver was ordered to move the truck. The contents were described as a "powder magazine" by the policemen, and were going to a depository specially built to store dangerous goods in Zigui County. "As flammable and explosive goods, firecrackers are forbidden to be shipped without any safeguards," said Zhao Shihong, director of the Yichang Substation of the Yangtze River Navigation Police Bureau. Firecrackers are easily detonated by any possible collision or impact between roll-on roll-off ships, each of which can carry 200 people and 59 vehicles, noted the sources. However, some shippers have attempted to sail under false colors as China’s traditional Spring Festival draws near. To ensure the dam’s safety, a 24-hour waterborne patrol now is required around the local roll-on roll-off wharfs. According to the police, a total of 120 tons of firecrackers had been seized from over 30 vehicles since the beginning of this year.