Eastern China factory explosion kills 65
2 Aug TN
An explosion at a factory in eastern China on Saturday killed 65
people, a government broadcaster said, while more than 100 were injured
in what appeared to be an industrial accident.
The explosion in Kunshan, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu
near Shanghai, "has resulted in 65 deaths", state broadcaster China
Central Television (CCTV) said in an Internet post.The explosion
occurred Saturday morning at a workshop in a metals factory, state media
said. The cause of the incident has not yet been identified. More than
100 people were injured when a "powerful blast ripped through" the
factory, China´s official Xinhua news agency said.Graphic photographs
posted online showed a charred body being wheeled on a stretcher, and
people with burned clothing sitting on the ground outside a factory
complex that was billowing black smoke.
"The scene is a mess, it´s unrecognisable," a witness at the scene
wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.Industrial
accidents occur with some regularity in China, where safety standards
are often lax. A fire at a poultry plant in the northeast of the country
killed 119 people last year.
The People´s Daily newspaper reported online that the factory in
Kunshan employs 450 staff. State media said the blast occurred at a
wheel hub polishing workshop inside the factory.Medical staff have been
sent from China´s commercial hub Shanghai to treat burns victims, the
People´s Daily added in an online post.Jiangsu province is located on
China´s coast. Many local and foreign companies have facilities there
producing goods for export.
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