Beijing: Nineteen people are dead and nearly
50 workers injured after a large explosion at a starch
production plant in northern China, state media said on Thursday.
The blast occurred yesterday at the Lihua Starch Co Ltd
factory in Hebei province, Xinhua news agency said.
The preliminary death toll was earlier set at 13 dead,
but the bodies of five missing workers were found today, while
one person who was severely injured in the blast died in
hospital, the report said.
The provincial government has set up a special
investigative team to probe the cause of the blast, and both
the director and vice-manager of the plant have been taken
into police custody for questioning.
Production was halted after the incident.
China's work safety record is notoriously bad, as an
emphasis on economic growth over the past three decades has
led to widespread disregard for workplace security.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 19:27