#UPDATE 44 people dead, 32 in critical condition and 58 heavily injured after an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province on Thursday
Hundreds of people have been moved from their homes to safe locations after the blast at industrial site in Yancheng.
Thursday’s explosion at the Tianjiayi chemical plant has become one of China's worst industrial accidents in years.
Officials said nearly 1,000 area residents have been moved to safety as of Friday as a precaution against leaks and additional explosions.
The city government in a statement said 3,500 medical workers at 16 hospitals had been mobilized to treat the injured.
Dozens of those injured remained in critical condition. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and is under investigation. China experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety.
Among the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin. It killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers.
source:chinadaily
