Scores killed in China poultry farm blaze

At least 61 people killed in fire triggered by explosions in electrical system of farm in Jilin province.

A large fire at a poultry processing plant and processing plant in northeastern China has killed at least 61 people, state media reports.

The fire on Monday in Jilin province's Mishazi township appeared to have been sparked by three early Monday morning explosions in the farm's electrical system, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The blaze charred the entire facility and trapped workers inside sheds.

Firefighters had extinguished the blaze by early afternoon but were continuing rescue work, reports said.

Photos from the scene posted on Chinese news websites showed thick smoke billowing from the cement and corrugated iron sheds.

The semi-official China News Service quoted company officials as saying liquid ammonia had leaked and caused the explosion.

The rescue efforts were hampered by narrow exits and the "complicated interior structure" of the prefabricated building, the official Xinhua news agency quoted firefighters as saying.

More than 300 workers were at the plant when the fire broke out, but the number trapped inside was unclear, it quoted survivors as saying.

About 100 workers had escaped from the plant despite the gate being locked, the survivors said.

The workers heard a "sudden bang" followed by dark smoke pouring through the building when the fire broke out, the agency said.

None of the reports gave numbers for injured or missing workers.

Local residents were evacuated within a one-kilometre radius of the plant because of the risk of further ammonia leakage, the broadcaster said.

The farm's owner, Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company, is a major producer of processed chicken and employs about 1,200 people. Built in 2009, the plant reported revenue of 37.5 million dollars in 2010, China News Service said.

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