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China chemical leak 'kills 15'

August 31, 2013

A liquid ammonia leak from a refrigeration unit at a facility in China's commercial hub of Shanghai has killed 15 people, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. A further 26 people have been sickened.

https://p.dw.com/p/19ZOh
Rescuers in chemical protection suits walk outside a refrigeration unit of Shanghai Weng's Cold Storage Industrial Co. Ltd., in the Baoshan district of Shanghai August 31, 2013. A liquid ammonia leak from the refrigeration unit at the cold storage facility in Shanghai on Saturday has killed 15 people and injured 26 others, local authorities said. REUTERS/Stringer (CHINA - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS INDUSTRIAL) CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA
Image: Reuters

More than a dozen people were reported to have died on Saturday following the leak from a refrigeration unit at a cold storage facility in Shanghai's northern district of Baoshan.

According to Xinhua, the incident occurred at 10:50 a.m. local time (02:50 GMT) at Shanghai Weng's Cold Storage Industrial Co. Ltd. It did not give any further details.

Six of the 26 people injured remain in a critical condition, news agency Reuters has reported, citing government sources.

The cause of the leak remains unknown.

China has a poor record on workplace safety and industrial accidents are common.

In June, 120 people died and dozens more were injured following a fire at a chicken processing plant in China's northeastern Jilin province.

ccp/tj (AFP, AP, Reuters)