Thousands were evacuated yesterday after an explosion destroyed a chemical factory in a small city in Guangxi province , killing at least 16 people.
Six people were listed as missing last night and 14 of the victims were confirmed as workers of the factory in Yizhou , near the border between Guangxi and Guizhou . Sixty injured people were taken to hospital.
Officials said last night a nearby river, the Longjiang, was probably contaminated and poisonous gas was still escaping from the scene of the explosion.
A Yizhou publicity office spokeswoman said officials were busy dealing with the aftermath, and a list of casualties was still being compiled.
'The rescue command centre at the scene said emergency workers faced many difficulties because of the chemicals and the constant explosions,' she said. 'It is too early to say what the final casualties will be.'
A preliminary investigation indicated the explosion at the Guangxi Guangwei Chemical Company was an industrial accident.
