SHANGHAI - An explosion at a pesticide plant in eastern China has killed 47 people and injured more than 600, state media said Friday, the latest casualties in a series of industrial accidents that has angered the public.
President Xi Jinping, who is in Italy on a state visit, ordered all-out efforts to care for the injured and to earnestly maintain social stability, state television said.
There have recently been a series of major accidents, and all places and relevant departments must fully learn the lessons from these, the report cited Xi as saying.
Jiangsu will launch inspections on chemical producers and warehouses, according to an emergency notice published by official media Friday. The notice, published on the news website of Jiangsu provinces Communist Party, said the government would shut down any chemical firms found not complying with regulations on dangerous chemicals.
The explosions at Tianjin, one of the worlds busiest ports and not far from the capital, Beijing, were big enough to be seen by satellites and register on earthquake sensors.