Car parts plant blast in China kills 65, hurts 100

BEIJING – At least 65 people were killed today by an explosion at an eastern Chinese automotive parts factory that supplies General Motors, state media reported.

The blast at the factory in the city of Kunshan in Jiangsu province also left more than 100 people injured, with many suffering severe burns, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Kunshan is about 600 miles southeast of Beijing.

The factory is operated by the Zhongrong Metal Products Company, a Taiwanese enterprise that according to its website was set up in 1998 and has a registered capital of $8.8 million. Its core business is electroplating aluminum alloy wheel hubs, the website says, while it supplies GM and other companies.

There were more than 200 workers at the site when the blast occurred, Xinhua cited the city government as saying.

A preliminary investigation has shown that the blast was likely a dust explosion, Xinhua said. Such an explosion is the fast combustion of particles suspended in air in an enclosed space. The particles could include dust or powdered metals such as aluminum. They would have to come into contact with a spark, such as fire, an overheated surface, or electrical discharge from machinery.