Factory Explosion in North China Kills Eight

An explosion at a biotech factory in northern China has claimed eight lives, Chinese state media reported on Sunday, updating earlier reports that listed seven dead and one missing.

State news agency Xinhua, citing local authorities, said the blast occurred Saturday morning at the Jiapeng Biotech Company in Shanxi province. 

The company’s legal representative has been taken into custody, the report added.

The factory, located in Shanyin County about 400 kilometres west of Beijing, was still being cleared as dark yellow smoke continued to rise from the site, Xinhua said. 

Authorities have formed an investigation team to determine the cause of the explosion.

Industrial accidents remain frequent in China due to weak safety regulations. In January, a steel factory in neighbouring Inner Mongolia suffered an explosion that killed at least nine people.