Explosion at steel mill kills at least 5 people in northeast China

The incident occurred on Thursday morning at Yingkou Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., situated in the city of Yingkou, located east of Beijing.

The city's Emergency Management Bureau issued a statement identifying the blast furnace as the source of the explosion.

An investigation into the cause of the explosion is currently underway, although preliminary assessments by experts suggest that a malfunction in the equipment may have been a contributing factor, according to the official announcement.

This tragic event unfolded in close proximity to another explosion that transpired less than 12 hours earlier in Yinchuan, a city in China's northwest, where a blast at a barbecue restaurant claimed the lives of 31 people and resulted in numerous injuries. (ILKHA)