Authorities in northern China are investigating a deadly industrial accident that has claimed eight lives at a biotech factory in Shanxi province.
The explosion occurred on Saturday morning at the Jiapeng Biotech facility in Shanyin County, located about 400 kilometres west of Beijing, according to Chinese state media.
Initially, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported seven fatalities and one missing person. The death toll was later revised to eight, and the company’s legal representative has reportedly been taken into custody.
Clean-up operations are ongoing at the site, where reporters observed dark yellow smoke rising from the factory. Local authorities have formed a team to determine the cause of the blast.
Industrial accidents remain a recurring concern in China due to lax safety standards. In late January, a steel factory in neighbouring Inner Mongolia experienced an explosion that killed at least nine people.
