3 dead, 2 missing in factory explosion in East China’s Jiangsu; rescue efforts underway

Three people have been killed and two are still missing in an explosion that occurred at an aluminum rod production plant in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on Sunday. The search and rescue efforts are still underway, the local emergency authorities said on Sunday.

At 2:11 am on Sunday, an explosion took place in the area of casting well in the factory of Asia-Pacific Light Alloy (Nantong) Technology Co, located in Hai’an Economic and Technological Development Zone, said the authorities.

According to a staff member from the Hai’an emergency management bureau, there were 18 employees from the company present at the time of the accident. The surveillance video revealed that a large quantity of molten aluminum leaked into the casting well, resulting in an explosion upon contact with water, the Beijing News reported on Sunday.

The roof and walls of the involved building collapsed, with an area of collapse exceeding 80 percent. Rescue personnel are using excavators to dig through the rubble and search for missing people, said the report.

On Sunday afternoon, a local resident said he heard an explosion sound at around 2:12 am from his home, which is about three kilometers away from the scene, and the doors and windows of his house shook. Initially he thought it was an earthquake, Sichuan-based The Cover reported on Sunday.

The resident said the factory area was currently locked down on Sunday afternoon, with some fire trucks on the scene. Some windows and glass doors of nearby factories were partially damaged, according to the report.

The company was founded in 2008 and specializes in the manufacturing and sale of aluminum industrial profiles and aluminum tubes for automobiles, according to the company’s website.