Blast at explosives factory kills 13

The death toll from a blast at an explosives factory in eastern China has risen to 13, with 19 injured and 10 still missing, state media reported.

The blast occurred before 10:50 am local time (02:50 GMT) on Monday (May 20) at a plant belonging to the Baoli Minbai Jinan Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Zhangqiu City of eastern Shandong province, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

A total of 42 people were caught in the explosion, 34 of whom were working inside the facility, Xinhua said.

Footage from official broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers with sniffer dogs and excavators digging through the debris in search of survivors.

Quoting local officials, Xinhua said that efforts to recover the 10 missing were ongoing on Tuesday (May 21).

China has had a dire industrial safety record despite long-standing efforts by the ruling Communist Party to improve workplace conditions for more than 150 million migrant workers.

Factors including rising wage and m