By Xinhua
Zouping (China) : At least 14 people were killed and 59 injured following a deadly molten aluminium burst in an east China plant, official sources said Monday.
Hospital sources said all the injured were “stable”. Earlier, the sources had put the number of dead at 11.
Some workers were still under surgery and the hospital had arranged more than 30 doctors and 40 nurses to provide treatment, Hao Jian, head of the Zouping County People’s Hospital, said.
The accident occurred as workers gathered for a morning meeting in an aluminium plant affiliated to the Weiqiao Pioneering Group Co., Ltd. in Zouping Sunday.
Molten aluminium at a temperature of about 900 degrees Celsius spilt from its container and produced a strong airflow, which threatened around 82 people in at least two adjacent workshops.
The roof of the workshop was blown off in the accident, its windows smashed and walls cracked. The eight-metre-high, single-storey workshop was 45 metres long and 27 metres wide.
“I heard a loud bang and then the lights blacked out,” said Wang Lingwei, a technician who was adjusting equipment at the time.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the accident.
The Weiqiao Pioneering Group Co., Ltd is one of China’s largest textile manufacturers. It is also involved in aluminium production and thermal electricity.