36 Killed in China Factory Fire

Thirty-six people were killed and two remain missing after a fire at a factory in central China, state media said Tuesday, citing local authorities, reports AFP.

The fire took place "at a plant in Anyang City, central China's Henan Province on Monday afternoon", news agency Xinhua reported. It did not share further details.

Industrial accidents are common in China, often caused by poor compliance with safety rules.

In March 2019, an explosion at a chemical factory in Yancheng, located 260 kilometres (161 miles) from Shanghai, killed 78 people and devastated homes in a radius of several kilometers.

And in 2015, a giant explosion in northern Tianjin at a chemical warehouse killed 165 people, in one of China's worst-ever industrial accidents.