MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for major efforts to treat the families of those killed in an explosion at a factory in east China's Jiangsu Province, as well as the survivors in the deadly incident, Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.
The agency said that the country’s leader had already ordered a thorough investigation into the accident, which claimed the lives of 68 people, according to recent reports, and urged that all those responsible be brought to justice.
China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang in his turn requested safety checks to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The blast at a factory specializing in polishing metal wheel rims took place early Saturday. A total of 264 people were at the factory when the explosion ripped through one of its workshops.
A total of 44 of them were pronounced dead at the scene, another 24 died after being taken to hospital.
More than 180 people sustained various injuries.
Preliminary data suggest that the accident was caused by flames igniting dust inside the workshop. Two senior managers at Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Co., Ltd have already been detained.
An investigating commission is currently working at the scene.
