The death toll at a massive fire at a poultry plant in China has risen to 112 as workers became trapped inside buildings.
The authorities in the northeastern province Jilin said it may rise further as more bodies were being recovered by rescue teams.
Dozens more were injured in the blaze at the jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in the township of Mishazi.
The fire appeared to have been sparked by three explosions in the farm’s electrical system, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It broke out during a change of shifts and may have originated in a locker room at a time when about 350 workers were at the site.
The provincial fire department said on its microblog that the fire was caused by a leak of ammonia.
Rescue workers found the bodies in the charred buildings, and rescue efforts were continuing. CCTV footage showed dark smoke billowing up from the cement structures.
Xinhua quoted survivors as saying that the plant’s “complicated” interior, narrow exits and a locked front gate made escape difficult.
The poultry plant’s owner is a major producer of processed chicken and employs about 1,200 people.
