Blasts at Chinese explosives plants kill 28

A blast at a Chinese explosives plant killed at least 20 workers while another eight died when a firecracker factory blew up, …

A blast at a Chinese explosives plant killed at least 20 workers while another eight died when a firecracker factory blew up, Xinhua news agency reported today.

Of the 11 other people at the explosives plant when a packing workshop blew up on Saturday, two were injured and the rest were missing, it said, citing a local government official. The plant was in Zhaoyuan, a city in eastern China's Shangdong province.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation, as was the Saturday detonation at the firecracker factory in north China's Shanxi province, where one more person was missing.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter