Chemical plant blast claims 16 lives

The death toll from a blast in one of Guangxi's chemical plants has risen to 16, after rescuers discovered five more bodies in the ruins.

Six more people were reported missing while 57 others were injured in the incident.

The explosion hit the plant owned by Guangxi Guangwei Chemical Co. at 6am on Tuesday morning. According to Xinhua, explosions were heard until 1pm and the resulting blaze spread over a 10,000 sq m area. Firefighters put out the fire on Tuesday evening.

Around 11,500 people within a 3-km radius of the plant were evacuated.

The plant mainly produces polyvinyl acetate (PVA), which is used in adhesives, calcium carbide, and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), which is used in paints, adhesives and coatings, Xinhua reported.

While the cause of the accident is still being investigated, authorities say that no air or water pollution resulted from it.