China factory blast toll rises to 19
By IANSThursday, February 25, 2010
BEIJING - The toll in Wednesday’s explosion at a factory in China’s Hebei province has risen to 19, an official said Thursday.
Five bodies were retrieved Thursday morning from the debris caused by the explosion.
As many as 107 people were working in the No. 4 workshop of Qinghuangdao Lihua Starch Co. Ltd when the explosion took place Wednesday evening, Xinhua news agency reported.
The company is located in Funing, Qinhuangdao city.
The government has formed a team to investigate the accident. Preliminary investigations found the explosion might have been caused by inflammable dust.
The privately-run company, with a registered capital of 1 billion yuan ($146.6 million), produces starch and glucose and has 3,300 employees.
The company has been ordered to halt production. The police have detained the company’s vice general manager and workshop director.
