China power plant construction accident kills at least 40

A series of deadly industrial accidents have rocked China in recent times.

At least 40 dies in
A representational image of a construction site is pictured in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD) area on a hazy day, China, October 19, 2016. Reuters

At least 40 people were killed on Thursday after a platform under construction collapsed at a power plant's cooling tower in China's eastern Jiangxi province.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the accident took place in Fengcheng around 7 am local time. The rescuers are working on the scene to recover people from the wreckage.

This is the latest in a series of deadly industrial accidents in China, a country that continues to suffer from frequent industrial accidents despite a central government-ordered drive to upgrade safety in factories, power plants and mines. These series of incidents have raised questions about the country's safety standards.

Last month, an explosion caused by "illegal production and storage of explosives" killed 14 people and wounded nearly 150 at a factory in the northwestern town of Xinmin in Shaanxi.

In 2015, 165 people were killed in a series of powerful blasts at a chemicals warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin. Cases of people deliberately setting off blasts have also been reported in China just to settle grievances such as land disputes..

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