Blast at steel plant in northeastern China kills 13, injures 17

[News_Editor]

Blast at steel plant in northeastern China kills 13, injures 17

2012-02-21 17:23:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

SHENYANG, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Thirteen workers were killed on late Monday evening when a mold exploded at a steel plant in northeastern China, state-run media reported on Tuesday. More than a dozen others were injured.

The explosion took place at around 11:30 p.m. local time on Monday at a steel-casting workshop in Anshan, the third largest prefecture level city in Liaoning province. The plant is owned by Angang Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd., one of China's largest machine manufacturers.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said the blast happened when a mold, about 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter, exploded. The explosion caused sand and concrete inside of the mold to burst out, killing more than a dozen workers who were about to finish the casting of a ring-shaped piece of steel.

Xinhua, quoting a statement from the provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, reported that thirteen workers were killed in the blast. Seventeen others were injured and were receiving treatment at area hospitals, it said. Their conditions were not immediately known.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The rapid economic growth in China, in combination with poor safety measures, frequently result in deadly industrial accidents. In early January, six people were killed and two others were injured when a blast ripped through a geothermal plant in northern China.

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