A large fire at a poultry farm and processing plant in northeastern China has killed at least 119 people, state media reports. The fire on Monday in Jilin province’s Mishazi township appeared to have been sparked by three early 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 explosions.
Narrow exits: The rescue efforts were hampered by narrow exits and the “complicated interior structure” of the pre-fabricated building, Xinhua 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, survivors said.
Erdogan blames ‘extremists’ for Turkey riots: The Turkish prime minister has blamed “extremist elements” for the riots that have swept his country in recent days.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) of playing an active role and working together with extremists. He also said intelligence services were investigating foreign links to the anti-government demonstrations centred on Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
“People who are talking about a “Turkish Spring” in their coverage of events do not know Turkey,” he said.
Meanwhile, police clashed with protesters in the capital, Ankara, as anti-government demonstrations stretched into a fourth straight day.
The Associated Press quoted the local Dogan news agency as saying police also fired tear gas at a group of protesters in an area close to Erdogan’s offices in Besiktas neighbourhood of Istanbul. The protesters responded by hurling back stones.
Conservative meddling: Erdogan has overseen a transformation in Turkey during his decade in power, turning its once crisis-prone economy into the fastest-growing in Europe.
He remains by far Turkey’s most popular politician, but critics point to what they see as his authoritarianism and religiously conservative meddling in private lives in the secular republic. Tighter restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection in recent weeks have also provoked protests.
Erdogan, appearing on Sunday on television for the fourth time in less than 36 hours, justified the restrictions on alcohol as for the good of people’s health.
“I want them to know that I want these [restrictions] for the sake of their health … Whoever drinks alcohol is an alcoholic,” he said.
