bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Alice Yan

Workers at the Taiwanese-owned metalwork factory in Kunshan where an explosion on Saturday has killed at least 75 people said the dangerous, dusty work conditions that sparked the blast had been known about for years.
The city's work safety regulator said it had warned the factory of the potential for an explosion several times, but it was ignored.
The blast is thought to have been triggered by a flame in a dust-filled workshop used to polish car wheel hubs.
Video: Scores dead and hundreds injured in Jiangsu factory explosion

Some 186 workers were seriously burned or injured by the explosion at Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Company.
They were sent to neighbouring cities including Shanghai, Suzhou, Nantong and Wuxi for treatment.

Many distraught relatives were still searching for loved ones yesterday as DNA tests were carried out to identify the dead.
Wu Ming, a 45-year-old worker from Sichuan province, has worked in the plant's sand-blasting workshop for seven years, near to where the blast occurred. He said the car parts factory was well-known among migrant workers for its "dirty environment, but high wages".

"I have friends in that workshop and I often go there because there's a toilet in that workshop and there isn't one in mine," he said, adding that the polishing workshop was usually full of dust.
Employees wore masks during work hours, but dust still got into their noses, according to Wu.
"Each time I went to that room there was dust everywhere: on the ground, on workers' faces and on their clothes."

Most of the staff in the polishing workshop were aged between 35 and 45 and were their families' "bread winners".
"Workers in that workshop told me they knew it was a dangerous job and it was bad for their health, but they had to earn money for their kids," he said.
He was working at the time of the explosion and was hit by shards of glass when the windows were blown in.
Wu helped lay the bodies of dead colleagues on the ground in front of the factory. "Some of them had just had breakfast with me that morning," he said.

A former employee in her 50s said her neighbours often joked that she seemed to be working in a coal mine because she looked so black after work. The woman, who worked at Zhongrong in 2006, said as far as she was aware the factory cleaned up the dust every other day.
"We knew the dust would hurt our throats and there was a risk of an explosion, but we had no choice and we needed more money," said the woman, who declined to give her name.
A migrant worker from Shaanxi province whose brother was being treated in hospital for burns to his head, back and feet said his sibling seemed unaware of the safety risks.
"Perhaps it's because he had only been working there for one month," he said.

The man said his brother found the job exhausting because his workload had previously been shared by three people.
Staff member Wu said employees had to work for at least 12 hours a day starting at 7am in the summer for about 5,000 yuan (HK$6,200) a month.
Five executives at Zhongrong have been detained by the police.
No one at the headquarters of the company in Taiwan could be reached for comment.


Kunshan explosion factory ignored several danger warnings, says regulator

Many distraught relatives are still searching for their loved ones. Most of the victims were the breadwinners of their families. Photo: Reuters

Family members cry at a caring centre for relatives of victims of a factory explosion, in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. Photo: Reuters

Workers of Nantong COSCO Shipyard Company donate blood on a voluntary blood donation vehicle in Nantong, Jiangsu. Photo: Xinhua

Residents queue to donate blood at Nantong Central Blood Station in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Photo: Xinhua


A seriously injured victim receives medical treatment in intensive care unit at the No 1 Hospital Affiliated to Suzhou University in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Photo: Xinhua

A press conference on a factory blast is held in Kunshan City, Jiangsu province. Photo: Xinhua

Lax safety laws blamed for fatal blast at Jiangsu factory

Lax safety laws blamed for fatal blast at Jiangsu factory. Photo: EPA

Dust build-up could have led to Jiangsu factory disaster, says expert

Ignition of accumulated dust may be the cause for the deadly explosion at a car parts factory in Jiangsu. Photo: Xinhua

Ignition of accumulated dust may be the cause for the deadly explosion at a car parts factory in Jiangsu. 

Scores dead in huge factory explosion caused by dust in Jiangsu

Smoke rises from the factory as workers gather outside in charred, tattered clothes following the explosion yesterday. Photo: Imagine China

Social media images reveal billowing smoke emerging from the factory. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

Emergency officials at the scene of the blast. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

The explosion occurred around 7:30 Saturday morning. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

Medical staff attend to the injured. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

Medical personnel transport a victim at a hospital after the explosion. Photo: Reuters

Rescuers help an injured man get off a bus near a hospital. Photo: Reuters

Photographers capture images of smoke emerging from the blast. Photo: Xinhua

The roof of the damaged workshop in the aftermath of the explosion. Photo: AP

A mobile phone shows dead bodies are placed on a truck after the explosion. Photo: EPA

News

China

Conditions notoriously bad at workshop where blast killed at least 75, injured 186


Workers at the Taiwanese-owned metalwork factory in Kunshan where an explosion killed at least 75 people on Saturday said the dangerous, dusty work conditions that sparked the blast had been known about for years.


Update | Kunshan explosion factory ignored several danger warnings, says regulator

Conditions notoriously bad at workshop where blast killed at least 75, injured 186