At least 4 killed, 11 injured in eastern China factory explosion

At least 4 killed, 11 injured in eastern China factory explosion

2011-06-30 20:29:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

NANJING, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A gas explosion in a sports equipment factory in eastern China killed at least four people, officials said Thursday morning, adding that 11 others were injured during the incident.

The explosion occurred at around 9 a.m. local time in Nantong, which is located in China's eastern province of Jiangsu in a badminton equipment factory, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

According to reports, the explosion was caused by an adhesive used to produce the equipment. The material accidentally vaporized and when nearby equipment produced some sparks that reached the vaporized adhesive, it reacted with a strong blast.

The explosion killed two people immediately at the scene, and a fire broke out in the factory. Emergency teams arrived and transported the injured to a local hospital where two others later died, while firefighters were able to put out the fire around 30 minutes after the blast.

Currently, there are still 11 people hospitalized due to the explosion. While local authorities continue to investigate the incident, they confirmed that all of the victims were factory employees.

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