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Dozens Are Killed in Blast at Factory in Eastern China Explosion Kills Dozens at Eastern China Plant
(about 7 hours later)
BEIJING — At least 68 people were killed Saturday morning when a blast tore through a metal products factory in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province, state-run news media reported.BEIJING — At least 68 people were killed Saturday morning when a blast tore through a metal products factory in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province, state-run news media reported.
According to the national broadcaster CCTV, 187 others were injured in the explosion, which occurred at 7:37 a.m. in Kunshan, a city not far from Shanghai. Kunshan is home to a number of factories that make components for China’s thriving automotive industry.According to the national broadcaster CCTV, 187 others were injured in the explosion, which occurred at 7:37 a.m. in Kunshan, a city not far from Shanghai. Kunshan is home to a number of factories that make components for China’s thriving automotive industry.
The victims, many of them young migrant workers in their 20s, had just started the day shift, which begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m., according to local media reports. The victims, many of them young migrant workers, had just started the day shift, which begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m., according to news reports.
The factory, run by a Taiwanese-owned company, Zhongrong, specializes in polishing metal wheel rims. Its customers include General Motors and other American companies, according to the company’s website, which prominently features the slogan “quality and safety.”The factory, run by a Taiwanese-owned company, Zhongrong, specializes in polishing metal wheel rims. Its customers include General Motors and other American companies, according to the company’s website, which prominently features the slogan “quality and safety.”
The official Xinhua news agency said five supervisors at the factory were being questioned in what the authorities described as an investigation into potentially criminal negligent behavior by plant management. The official Xinhua news agency said five supervisors at the factory were being questioned in what the authorities described as an investigation into potential criminal negligence by the plant’s management.
The explosion in Kunshan is the latest in a string of industrial accidents that have focused attention on safety records at the tens of thousands of factories that fuel China’s economically vital export sector. The explosion is the latest in a string of accidents that have focused attention on the safety records at the tens of thousands of factories that fuel China’s vital export sector.
In January, 16 people died in nearby Zhejiang Province when a fire tore through a shoe factory. Last year, a blaze at a poultry slaughterhouse in northeastern China killed 120 workers; investigators said blocked exits at the plant contributed to the high death toll. In January, 16 people died in nearby Zhejiang Province when a fire tore through a shoe factory. Last year, a blaze at a poultry slaughterhouse in northeastern China killed 120 workers; investigators said blocked exits contributed to the high death toll.
Although the government has in recent years stepped up the enforcement of occupational safety standards, industrial accidents claim about 70,000 lives annually, according to figures released last year. Although the Chinese government has in recent years stepped up the enforcement of occupational safety standards, industrial accidents claim about 70,000 lives annually, according to figures released last year.
Initial news reports said the explosion in the Zhongrong plant was caused by an accumulation of metallic dust that ignited as workers were polishing wheel rims in a workshop.Initial news reports said the explosion in the Zhongrong plant was caused by an accumulation of metallic dust that ignited as workers were polishing wheel rims in a workshop.
An amateur video posted on the news portal Sina showed black smoke billowing over the plant as a group of people, their clothing burned off, huddled by the factory gate awaiting help. Photos on the site showed charred bodies laid out in the back of a truck and survivors sitting on wooden pallets.
An amateur video posted on the news portal Sina showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing over the low-rise plant as a group of people, their clothing burned off, huddled by the factory gate awaiting help. Photos on the site showed victims sitting on wooden pallets and charred bodies laid out in the back of a truck.
Forty people were killed on the spot and the others died “one after another” on the way to the hospital, People’s Daily reported, quoting hospital employees.Forty people were killed on the spot and the others died “one after another” on the way to the hospital, People’s Daily reported, quoting hospital employees.
As many as 200 people were working at the time of the explosion, news reports said.As many as 200 people were working at the time of the explosion, news reports said.
Throughout the morning, critically injured workers flooded local hospitals, which were ill-equipped to deal with burn victims, according an online news service operated by the Oriental Morning Post in Shanghai. At the Kunshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, relatives kneeled on the ground begging for information about their loved ones, the website said. Many of the most severely injured patients were transported to hospitals in Shanghai, some with burns covering 90 percent of their bodies, according to the site. Throughout the morning, critically injured workers flooded local hospitals, which were ill equipped to treat burn victims, according an online news service operated by The Oriental Morning Post in Shanghai. At the Kunshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, relatives knelt on the ground begging for information, the website said. Many severely injured patients were transported to hospitals in Shanghai, some with burns covering 90 percent of their bodies, according to the site.
Calls to the company went unanswered on Saturday.Calls to the company went unanswered on Saturday.
The accumulation of combustible dust, a byproduct of sanding and polishing aluminum, steel and other metals, is a well-known industrial safety hazard. In 2011, an explosion at a plant that made iPads for Apple killed three workers and injured 15. Investigators later blamed the accident on aluminum dust that had collected in ventilation ducts. The accumulation of combustible dust, a byproduct of sanding and polishing aluminum, steel and other metals, is a well-known industrial safety hazard. In 2011, an explosion at a plant that made iPads for Apple killed three workers and injured 15. Investigators blamed the accident on aluminum dust that had collected in ventilation ducts.
According to the Xinmin Evening Newspaper of Shanghai, some employees at the Zhongrong plant had complained about poor ventilation and the buildup of dust in the polishing workshops. One man told the paper that two of his relatives had described the amount of dust as intolerable. The man, who gave his surname as Wang, said his son-in-law had quit as a result but that a brother-in-law had kept working at the plant. The brother-in-law, he told the paper on Saturday, was still missing. According to a Shanghai newspaper, The Xinmin Evening News, some employees at the Zhongrong plant had complained about poor ventilation and the buildup of dust in the polishing workshops. One man told the newspaper that two of his relatives had described the dust as intolerable. The man said that his son-in-law had quit as a result but that a brother-in-law had kept working at the plant. The brother-in-law, he told the newspaper on Saturday, was still missing.