Three people were killed while three others were injured in a chemical plant blast Wednesday afternoon in the city of Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

Local police said the accident took place around 2:00 p.m., when the workers were welding the pipeline of the combustible polyurethane, which was identified to be illegal operation by experts.

The polyurethane air was immediately ignited, causing a big fire and the blast of two huge cans.

Three workers were killed on the site and three others were wounded in the accident, one in critical condition, said the local hospital.

The fire was put out at 5:20 p.m.

Further investigation into the cause of the blast is underway.

Source: Xinhua