An explosion at a chemical plant in northeast China has left two people dead, 34 injured and 12 missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.
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The explosion occurred Sunday afternoon at a factory in Panshan County, Liaoning Province, the television said.
“The fire is currently under control, the last flames having stabilized”, according to CCTV.
Videos and photos released by television show a thick cloud of black smoke and flames rising from the factory, as well as a group of helmeted firefighters outside the building.
According to CCTV, more than 330 firefighters were mobilized to bring the blaze under control.
Industrial accidents are common in China and often caused by poor compliance with safety rules.
In December, 18 people were trapped underground after the collapse of a gold mine in the Xinjiang region (northwest).
And in November, 38 people were killed in a factory fire in the center of the country.
One of the most serious industrial accidents occurred in 2015 in Tianjin (north). A gigantic explosion in a chemical warehouse had killed at least 165 people in this large port city located 120 kilometers southeast of Beijing.