Kunshan, China - Factory Explosion 75 killed 180 injured - August 2, 2014

A factory explosion killed 75 people Saturday in China, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

The blast occurred at 7:37 a.m. Saturday (7.37 p.m. Friday, Eastern time) in the city of Kunshan in the eastern province of Jiangsu. Along with the dead, the explosion also injured 180 people, Xinhua said, citing officials.

Officials have called the explosion a "work safety accident," the state media organization reported. Flames may have ignited "metal dust" in the Kunshan Zhongrong Metal factory, a wheel-hub-polishing facility, according to initial investigations. The factory is a supplier of U.S. car maker General Motors, according to state TV news.

Those injured in the explosion were transferred to hospitals in the nearby cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi and Nantong. Most of the victims were suffering from burns, Xinhua reported local health authorities as saying.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all-out efforts" to treat the survivors. Residents in the city of Nantong have been lining up to donate blood to aid the victims' recovery.

Xi also said that he would order a full investigation into the tragedy and ensure that those responsible for the accident were held fully accountable. He has assigned state councilor Wang Yong to lead the investigation, Xinhua reported.

Two senior executives at the Taiwan-invested company have been placed in police custody.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/02/world/asia/china-factory-explosion/