Chemical factory blast in north China kills at least 13

[News_Editor]

Chemical factory blast in north China kills at least 13

2012-02-29 08:49:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) -- At least 13 people were killed and dozens of others injured on Tuesday after an explosion ripped through a chemical plant in China's northern Hebei province, local authorities said.

The accident happened at around 9:30 a.m. at Hebei Keeperchemical Industries Co.,Ltd in Zhaoxian county. Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and 43 others injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The injured were transfered to a nearby hospital. The blast flattened one of the factory's workshops and shattered window panes within a radius of 2,000 meters (1.24 miles), the report said.

Cheng Weiqing, deputy chief of the public security bureau of Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital city, said that tremors from the explosion were felt in at least three villages near the plant. He added that there was no risk of contamination from the blast at the plant, which manufactures pesticide products such as guanidine nitrate.

According to villagers, the products are highly toxic and the factory only employs married men. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Last week, thirteen workers were killed and more than a dozen others were injured when a mold exploded at a steel plant in northeastern China.

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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