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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| China factory explosion kills scores | China factory explosion kills scores |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| An explosion at a factory in China has killed at least 69 people, according to Chinese state media. | |
| Another 150 people were injured in the blast on Saturday morning in Kunshan, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu near Shanghai. | Another 150 people were injured in the blast on Saturday morning in Kunshan, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu near Shanghai. |
| Workers in the factory were producing parts for cars for US companies including General Motors, state media said. | Workers in the factory were producing parts for cars for US companies including General Motors, state media said. |
| "We heard the explosion and we were all shocked," a security guard from a nearby factory told Agence France-Presse. He said the blast happened as workers were changing shifts, resulting in higher casualties. | "We heard the explosion and we were all shocked," a security guard from a nearby factory told Agence France-Presse. He said the blast happened as workers were changing shifts, resulting in higher casualties. |
| Photographs posted online showed a charred body being wheeled on a stretcher, and people with burned clothing sitting on the ground outside a factory complex that was billowing black smoke. | Photographs posted online showed a charred body being wheeled on a stretcher, and people with burned clothing sitting on the ground outside a factory complex that was billowing black smoke. |
| Forty people died at the scene, and more than 20 others died in hospital, Chinese broadcasters said. Medical staff were sent from Shanghai to treat burns victims, according to the People's Daily. | Forty people died at the scene, and more than 20 others died in hospital, Chinese broadcasters said. Medical staff were sent from Shanghai to treat burns victims, according to the People's Daily. |
| Preliminary investigations suggest that the blast was caused by dust produced as workers polished metal meeting with high temperatures or an open flame, China's ministry of public security said. | Preliminary investigations suggest that the blast was caused by dust produced as workers polished metal meeting with high temperatures or an open flame, China's ministry of public security said. |
| "The scene is a mess, it's unrecognisable," a witness at the scene wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. | "The scene is a mess, it's unrecognisable," a witness at the scene wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. |
| Chinese state television identified the factory as Zhongrong Plating. Company officials could not be reached for a comment. Its website says it employs 450 workers and counts General Motors and other US companies as clients. No one at General Motors in China was immediately available for comment. | Chinese state television identified the factory as Zhongrong Plating. Company officials could not be reached for a comment. Its website says it employs 450 workers and counts General Motors and other US companies as clients. No one at General Motors in China was immediately available for comment. |
| Jiangsu province is on China's coast, where many local and foreign companies have facilities producing goods for export. Kunshan is a centre for Taiwanese investment, with factories supplying China's vast automotive manufacturing industry. | Jiangsu province is on China's coast, where many local and foreign companies have facilities producing goods for export. Kunshan is a centre for Taiwanese investment, with factories supplying China's vast automotive manufacturing industry. |
| Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety standards are often lax. A fire at a poultry plant in the north-east of the country killed 119 people last year. Reports at the time said managers had locked doors inside the factory to prevent workers from going to the toilet, leading to the high death toll. | Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety standards are often lax. A fire at a poultry plant in the north-east of the country killed 119 people last year. Reports at the time said managers had locked doors inside the factory to prevent workers from going to the toilet, leading to the high death toll. |
| Saturday's blast comes two days after at least 26 people were killed in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung in a suspected gas pipeline explosion. A pipeline explosion in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao last year killed 62 people and injured 136. | Saturday's blast comes two days after at least 26 people were killed in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung in a suspected gas pipeline explosion. A pipeline explosion in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao last year killed 62 people and injured 136. |