Reports suggest demolition works responsible for blast that killed 10.
The death toll from an explosion at a factory in eastern China now stands at 10 people, state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing a casualty count from local government officials.
At a news conference, officials in the city of Nanjing told reporters that more than 120 people had been hospitalized after a blast ripped through an abandoned plastics factory Wednesday morning. Fourteen of those hospitalized were critically injured, officials said. Workers were dismantling the factory when the explosion occurred.
A statement from the state Administration of Work Safety said the explosion came when a motorist started a car engine and ignited leaking gas. The administration says the gas leak occurred after a propylene pipeline was damaged by heavy machinery used to dismantle factory buildings. The damaged pipeline that had been funneling propylene to the factory has been shut down, it said.
According to Xinhua, the rescue headquarters says an excavator owned by Yangzhou Hongyuan Construction and Development Co., Ltd. hit the pipeline. The news agency also reports that the excavator operator has been held by police for questioning.
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