China factory blast kills 65

BEIJING A huge blast at a Chinese metal factory left at least 65 people dead and over 100 others injured Saturday. Photos posted on social media showed many badly injured people lying outside the factory in Kunshan city, in east China's Jiangsu Province. Some were being carried onto public buses and ambulances. Nearby, Chinese officials had provided an emergency blood-donation car to help those affected by the explosion. China's official news agency Xinhua reported that the blast occurred at around 7.37 a.m. local time inside a wheel hub-polishing workshop owned by the Zhongrong Metal Production Company. The company's website says it is foreign-owned and employs around 4,000 people. Xinhua said that more than 200 workers were at the site when the blast happened. Rescuers were reported to have pulled out over 40 bodies while another 20 people had died in hospitals. According to the Ministry of Public Security, an initial probe had shown that the explosion may have been caused by fire in metal polishing dust.
The cause of the blast is under investigation.