Twelve rescue worker­s also hurtBEIJING: Ten people suffocated to death by smoke inhalation at a large Chinese pharmaceutical firm on Monday, state media reported, the lastest in a spate of deadly industrial incidents across the country. Sparks from a pipe being welded at Qilu Tianhe Huishi Pharmaceutical Co in eastern Shandong province caused a substance to catch fire and give off the smoke, state news agency Xinhua reported. Twelve rescue workers were hurt but were not in life-threatening condition, it added. Qilu Tianhe has invested 1 billion yuan ($150 million) in its massive pharmaceutical plant covering 280,000 square meters in the city of Jinan. In November, a gas leak at a plant in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou — which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics — killed 24 people and injured 21 others.

Source: The Express Tribune April 15, 2019 13:30 UTC