Killer blast at Chinese factory

BBC News Online, Friday, 30 June 2000, 16:06 GMT 17:06 UK

An explosion at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 29 people, and injured around 200 more.

The blast in the southern city of Jiangmen levelled a two-storey building covering an area of 3,000 square metres, reports said.

Rescue workers have been trying to find people trapped in the rubble.

The explosion at the Hong Kong-funded Tuqu factory happened at around 0800 (0000 GMT) on Friday.

Witnesses say they saw a large mushroom cloud after the blast.

All those killed are believed to be factory workers.

The blast is not thought to have killed anyone outside the factory, which was located in a sparsely populated suburb.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

Jiangmen is in Guangdong province, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Macau.