At least 13 killed in China factory explosion
21 May 2013
A massive blast at an explosives factory in eastern China killed at least 13 people with another 20 missing and others buried in debris on May 21, State media reported. Another 19 people were injured in the explosion on Monday at a three-storey workshop owned by Poly Explosives (Jinan), a state-owned company in the eastern province of Shandong.
The company website said the factory manufactures 30,000 tonnes of industrial explosives annually.
The force of the blast flung broken glass, smashed concrete and other debris as far as 200 metres, reports said. Walls in outlying buildings were flattened and glass shattered.
A total of 34 people were inside the factory at the time of the blast and survivors were rushed to hospital. The cause of the blast and condition of those injured were not immediately known.