BEIJING, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An explosion at a steel factory in northern 
China killed two people and injured 66 on Sunday, with five more still 
missing, state media said.

The blast occurred at around 3 pm (0700 GMT) at a Baogang United Steel plate 
plant in Baotou city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, state news 
agency Xinhua reported.

"As of 5:30 pm on Sunday, local emergency management and fire rescue 
authorities reported two fatalities and five people missing," Xinhua said.

"Sixty-six individuals have been sent to hospitals for treatment, three of 
whom are in severe condition."

Footage on social media showed collapsed ceilings and rubble at the factory, 
huge plumes of smoke overhead and fire engines at the scene.

Other videos showed an object being blasted into the sky as smoke billowed 
from the factory and a large, cylindrical hunk of metal that appeared to have 
come from the plant lying among the rubble of buildings.

Residents kilometres away reported that the explosion shook their homes and 
shattered windows.

The cause of the incident is being investigated, Xinhua said, while the 
rescue operation continues.

Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards.

An explosion at a fireworks factory in Hunan province in central China in 
June killed nine people and injured 26 others.

In 2015, blasts at warehouses containing flammable chemicals in the port city 
of Tianjin killed more than 170 people and injured 700 others.