Thirty-eight people were killed and two were injured after a fire at a chemical plant in central China, state media said Tuesday, citing local authorities.
According to the report from news agency Xinhua, the fire broke out at a plant in Anyang City in Henan Province on Monday afternoon.

The fire was reported about 4:22 pm (0822 GMT) which took the fire rescuers many hours to put off the fire.
“After receiving the alarm, the municipal fire rescue detachment immediately dispatched forces to the scene, public security, emergency response, municipal administration, and power supply units rushed to the scene at the same time to carry out emergency handling and rescue work where they managed to extinguish the fire by 11 pm local time, CCTV reported.”

From the footages of the scene shared by state media, they showed thick plumes of black smoke from the fire, with at least two trucks in position to battle the flames. Another video showed the charred hull of the building after the fire was extinguished.
The two who were injured, were sent to hospital but the injuries are not life-threatening, the state-run People’s Daily said.

No word was given on the cause of the fire or how so many employees were killed, although China has a history of industrial accidents caused by lax regard to safety measures fueled by rising competition and abetted by corruption among officials. Poor storage conditions, locked exits and a lack of firefighting equipment are often cited as direct causes.

By Jane Kibathi.