China plant fire that killed at least 120linked to possible ammonia blast

Investigators believe a fire that killed at least 120 people at a poultry processing plant in northeast China may have been started by an explosion resulting from a buildup of ammonia gas, state media have reported. The blaze began early Monday in a slaughterhouse at the plant in Mishazi Township in the province of Jilin, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua, which described it as one of the deadliest workplace accidents in recent years. Witnesses have described hearing a loud bang and seeing the building fill with smoke. There are also reports thata lot of the workers inside the plant found it very difficult to get out because of doors that were locked or blocked. One employee, Guo Yan, told Xinhua that the emergency exit was blocked when the fire broke out. "Everyone was swarming toward another workshop. It was so crowded that I was harshly pushed and squeezed," she said. "But I didn't stop for even a second, even when I stumbled and lost my shoes." It remains unclear why exits were blocked. Some accounts have suggested that when the electricity went off during the fire, that locked some of the doors. "Suddenly, the lights inside went out and the plant got quite dark," a worker named Wang Fengya told Xinhua. "When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw high flames." The reports of workers' difficulties exiting the building have revived concerns about work safety in Jilin and elsewhere in China. The state-run China News Service said the fire was the latest in a series of workplace accidents in China in the past month. It cited a blast at an explosives factory in Shandong province on May 20 that killed 33 people and an explosion at a coal mine in Sichuan province that killed 28 workers. Even after firefighters extinguished theblaze at the poultry plant, Xinhua reported, rescuers have found it hard to enter the slaughterhouse to search for survivors because of its"complicated interior structure and its narrow exits." The death toll had risen to 120 by Monday evening, Xinhua reported, andthe number people of injured stood at70. Authorities weren't yet able to confirm how many people are still trapped inside, it said. "Those who are suspected of being responsible for the accident have beentaken into police custody for further inquiry," Xinhua reported without providing further details. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently visiting Costa Rica, has calledon authorities to minimize casualties, find the cause of the fire and hold those responsible accountable, according to state media. "Rescue work is still underway," said Zhao Xian, deputy director of the localemergency office. "The rescuers are trying their utmost to search for any survivors in the fire. We'll do our best to treat the wounded, identify the victims and investigate the cause of the incident."