18 killed in China factory fire

JINAN, Nov. 17 -- Eighteen people died after a food packaging factory caught fire on Sunday evening in east China's Shandong Province, local authorities said Monday.

The fire broke out at 7 p.m. Sunday at Longyuan Food Co. Ltd.'s carrot packaging workshop in Shouguang City, one of China's agricultural-production centers. The flames were put out by around 9:30 p.m., according to Shouguang municipal publicity officials.

Thirteen people are being treated for injuries, two of whom were seriously harmed

A doctor at Shouguang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital said one of the seriously injured was in a life-threatening condition.

"The fire was big and many workers fled," said the owner of a restaurant some 50-meters away from the factory.

The results of preliminary investigations show that 140 people were in the building when the fire occurred. Search and rescue efforts were concluded at 9 a.m. Monday.

The managers of the company have been questioned by police and the investigation into the cause of the incident continues.

Founded in 1998, Longyuan Food is an export-oriented firm, with 200 employees and an annual production capacity of 50,000 tonnes.