China factory blast kills five
By IANSWednesday, July 28, 2010
BEIJING - A powerful explosion at a factory in eastern China’s Jiangsu province Wednesday left at least five people dead and 28 seriously injured, the local government said.
The blast ripped through an abandoned plastics factory in northern Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu, officials said. More than 100 injured have been rushed to hospitals, Xinhua reported.
Media reports put the toll at six.
The blast, suspected to be caused by a gas leak at the Nanjing No. 4 Plastics Factory in Qixia District, went off at about 10:15 a.m. (local time), said an official with the city government.
The explosion also hit a bus that was passing the area, injuring many passengers. Media reports said a man was hit by a falling ceiling when he was sleeping at home. He died later in a hospital.
Rescuers are still searching for people in the debris, the report said.
