12 die in explosion, helicopter crash during Chinese holiday

BEIJING (AP) — At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the nine workers killed in the explosion Monday in an industrial zone in the northern province of Shandong. One person remained missing and another was hospitalized with injuries. On Tuesday, a small civilian-use helicopter crashed outside the northwestern city of Xi’an, killing all three people on board. Work generally stops during the five-day May Day holiday, which ended Wednesday, during which tens of millions of Chinese flock to tourist sites.