UPDATE -- BEIJING (AP) -- A fire that trapped workers in a cluttered slaughterhouse in northeastern China has killed at least 113 people.
Reports and officials say the massive fire broke out at a poultry plant today and several dozen people also were hurt. The official Xinhua News Agency says the fire appeared to have been sparked by three early-morning explosions.
The provincial fire department, on its microblog, attributed the blasts to a leak of ammonia, a gas that is kept pressurized as part of the cooling system in meat processing plants.
It wasn't clear how many workers had been accounted for and a provincial government media official, who refused to give his name, said he expected the death toll to rise further.
Xinhua quoted survivors as saying the plant's "complicated" interior, narrow exits and a locked front gate made escape difficult.
Many Chinese workplaces have lax safety standards.
---EARLIER COVERAGE---
BEIJING (AP) -- A large fire has broken out at a poultry farm and processing plant in northeastern China early Monday, charring much of the facility, trapping workers inside large concrete buildings and killing at least 61 people.
The official Xinhua News Agency says the fire in Jilin province appeared to have been sparked by three early-morning explosions in the farm's electrical system. The provincial fire department says on its microblog that the fire was caused by an ammonia leak.
Rescue workers found the bodies in the charred buildings, and rescue efforts are continuing.
Reports and officials say the massive fire broke out at a poultry plant today and several dozen people also were hurt. The official Xinhua News Agency says the fire appeared to have been sparked by three early-morning explosions.
The provincial fire department, on its microblog, attributed the blasts to a leak of ammonia, a gas that is kept pressurized as part of the cooling system in meat processing plants.
It wasn't clear how many workers had been accounted for and a provincial government media official, who refused to give his name, said he expected the death toll to rise further.
Xinhua quoted survivors as saying the plant's "complicated" interior, narrow exits and a locked front gate made escape difficult.
Many Chinese workplaces have lax safety standards.
---EARLIER COVERAGE---
BEIJING (AP) -- A large fire has broken out at a poultry farm and processing plant in northeastern China early Monday, charring much of the facility, trapping workers inside large concrete buildings and killing at least 61 people.
The official Xinhua News Agency says the fire in Jilin province appeared to have been sparked by three early-morning explosions in the farm's electrical system. The provincial fire department says on its microblog that the fire was caused by an ammonia leak.
Rescue workers found the bodies in the charred buildings, and rescue efforts are continuing.