19 people killed in China factory fire

Beijing: At least 19 people have been killed when a fire broke out at a factory in east China, authorities said on Monday, the latest industrial accident to hit the country where lax regulations often lead to tragedy.

The fire broke out on Sunday at a facility owned by the Ruiqi Daily Necessities Company in Ninghai County, state-run Xinhua reported.

Nineteen people have been killed and investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, the report quoted local authorities as saying. This is the fifth such incident in the last six months.

Industrial accidents ranging from factory fires to mining disasters are common in China, often due to poorly enforced safety standards.

Ten people were killed in a fire in pharmaceutical factory in Shandong province in April this year.

In March, seven people were killed and five others injured in an explosion at a scrap metal moulding plant in China's Jiangsu Province. Five people were killed in an explosion in a factory in China's Shandong Province on March 30.

On March 22, a blast at a pesticide factory in Yancheng city left 78 people dead and 600 others injured. Following the accident, the Chinese government has ordered nationwide inspection of chemical industries to prevent large scale factory explosions.