Fire trucks and ambulances are seen at the site of a fire at a poultry factory in Dehui City, Chinaâ„¢s Jilin Province, June 3, 2013.
Fifty-five people have died and dozens more have been injured in a fire at a poultry processing plant in northeast China.
The official Chinese news agency Xinhua said the blaze broke out on Monday when more than 300 people were working in Baoyuanfeng factory in the city of Dehui in Jilin Province.
Å“At least 55 people were killed,” the report said, adding that rescue forces were sent to the scene of the incident to save the workers trapped inside the plant.
The complicated interior structure of the factory slowed the rescue work, the report said. About 100 workers succeeded to escape.
Security officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
State broadcaster CCTV, however, said that eyewitnesses had heard a blast and suspected a leak of liquid ammonia in the plant.
Established in 2009, the factory employs 3,000 people and produces 67,000 tons of meat per year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.
Fatal accidents happen regularly at mines and factories in China due to poor workplace safety standards.
DB/HSN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV