2 Died, 84 Injured in Factory Blast in China

Baotou: Two people died, eight missing and 84 injured due to an explosion at a factory in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said. The explosion occurred at a plate plant of Baogang United Steel in western Baotou City, caused by the blast of a 650-cubic-meter saturated water and steam spherical tank. The incident resulted in a total of 84 injured people being treated in hospitals, and five in serious condition, executive vice mayor of Baotou said. According to Oman News Agency, the government has suspended production of the accident-hit plant and initiated city-wide safety overhaul of industrial and trade enterprises. Investigations into the blast's environmental impact are ongoing. Monitoring by environmental protection departments has so far detected no adverse effects on the surrounding air or soil quality.