32 killed at steel plant

SHENYANG: At least 32 workers were confirmed dead and two others injured yesterday morning in an industrial accident at a steel plant in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, local work safety authorities said.

The accident occurred at 7:45 am in a Qinghe Special Steel Corporation workshop in Tieling when a steel ladle - used for pouring molten steel - suddenly sheared off from the iron rail linking it to the blast furnace.

The ladle was moving into the pouring position above a worktable when it fell, spewing out white-hot molten metal at about 1,500 C into a room where workers had gathered as they changed shift. The liquid metal engulfed the room, bursting through the door and windows and burying the workers.

Work safety officials who rushed to the site said the bodies of 32 workers had been recovered and the injured had been taken to hospital.

As the bodies had been burned beyond recognition, DNA technology would be used for identification, said officials.

The families of the victims will receive at least 200,000 yuan ($26,000) each in compensation, the officials said.

The plant was closed as the safety committee launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Source: China Daily