Seven die from gas poisoning in eastern China: state media

BEIJING: At least seven people were killed and four others suffered injuries after a gas poisoning incident at a biotechnology firm in eastern China, state media reported on Sunday.

The incident took place Saturday afternoon at the Weifang Jinshi company in Shandong province, the Xinhua news agency quoted emergency officials as saying.

Rescue workers had been deployed to aid the survivors and investigations were ongoing, local authorities said.

“Those who sustained injuries are currently in stable conditions,” Xinhua reported, citing the local emergency management bureau in Shouguang City, about 380 kilometres (230 miles) southeast of the capital Beijing.

Industrial accidents occur frequently in China, often due to poor safety training and lax protocols.

In January, at least eight people were killed in a factory explosion in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, state media reported.

And in May last year, nine people died in a blast at a factory used to produce hydrogen peroxide in Liaocheng, also located in Shandong province, where Saturday’s poisoning occurred.