Toll rises to 23 in China factory blast

Experts say, the blast was so strong that 10 of those killed could only be identified by their DNA.

Rescue workers search the remains of an explosives factory in Caofan township of Zhangqiu city in east China's Shandong province on Monday. Photo: AP

The toll from a massive blast at an explosives plant in eastern China has risen to 23 with 10 people still missing.

The official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday that 19 others were injured by the explosion, which ripped through the plant in Shandong province on Monday.

Experts from the State Administration of Work Safety have been sent to the factory and are investigating the cause of the explosion. The blast was so strong that 10 of those killed could only be identified by their DNA.

China has sought to tighten access to explosives used for quarrying following a series of attacks by people using homemade bombs. However, safety rules are often ignored and industrial accidents remain common.