The two plant buildings, totaling 13,000 square meters, and a 50-meter high chimney of the Fengjie County Thermal Power Plant, which were built in 1958, were demolished in the blast in several seconds.

　　A local township government office building was demolished in the same way earlier Sunday afternoon.

　　The buildings were demolished and cleared away to remove possible pollution sources and ensure navigation safety in the reservoir of the Three Gorges project, the world's largest water control project, which will inundate 22 riverside counties and cities, including Fengjie, in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River when the project is completed by 2009.