At least 16 people have been killed in an explosion at a factory in eastern China, officials say.![Industrial accidents occur frequently across China [File: AFP]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/China/A/1/2/3/Industrial-accidents.jpg "Industrial accidents occur frequently across China [File: AFP]")
Industrial accidents occur frequently across China [File: AFP]
More than 40 other people were wounded in the blast, which occurred at 3am (19:00 GMT) on Sunday, in Fengyang, a county in Anhui province, an official at the state administration of work safety said.
According to an Associated Press report, most of those killed were workers while the injured were residents living nearby.
The Fengyang county government said it was still collecting information on the cause.
The official Xinhua news agency said the factory, producing quartz sand, was owned by Jingxin Mining, a private company.
Accidents occur regularly across the country due to neglect of safety standards.
Tags: China factory