Iran Condoles with China over Chemical Plant Explosion

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has offered condolences to China over a deadly explosion in a chemical plant, which killed and wounded dozens of people.

Fire burns at the site of a massive explosion in China / Photo by AP: Chinatopix

In a Saturday statement, Qassemi sympathized with the Chinese government and nation, and the survivors and families of the victims of the heartbreaking and tragic incident.

He also expressed hope that those wounded in the horrible accident would recover as soon as possible.

The death toll from a massive explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China has risen to at least 64, with hundreds of others injured, 90 of them seriously.

Rescuers pulled a survivor from rubble early on Saturday (local time), more than 24 hours after the blast at the factory, which had a long record of safety violations.

The number of deaths appeared likely to rise still further, with another 28 people still listed as missing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Just 26 of those confirmed dead in Thursday’s explosion have been identified, it said.

The blast in an industrial park in the city of Yancheng, north of Shanghai, was one of China’s worst industrial accidents in recent years.

State-run television showed crushed cars, blown-out windows and workers leaving the factory with bloodied heads.

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