<p class="title">The death toll from a huge explosion that rocked a gas plant in central China rose to 12, state media said Saturday, with three people still missing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Friday's blast at the Henan Coal Gas Group factory left another 13 people seriously wounded and more with light injuries, said official news agency Xinhua.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The blast shattered windows and doors of buildings in a three-kilometre (1.9-mile) radius.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It occurred in the air separation unit of Henan Coal's factory, state broadcaster CCTV said, with Xinhua saying a device in the factory exploded at 5:45 pm on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All production at the plant has been stopped. More than 270 rescuers are on the scene searching for the missing people, Xinhua said, citing the emergency management ministry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Many windows and doors within a three-kilometre radius were shattered, and some interior doors were also blown out by the blast," CCTV said on its Twitter-like Weibo social media account.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Local media showed amateur videos of a massive column of black smoke billowing from the factory and debris littering the roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Other images showed the doors and windows of homes blown out and shuttered shops with dented metal fronts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bloodied man was seen being helped out of a van in a video posted on social media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Deadly industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In March, a blast at a chemical plant in eastern Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured hundreds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The powerful explosion in the eastern city of Yancheng toppled several buildings in the industrial park, blew out windows of nearby homes and even dented metal garage doors.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Authorities detained two dozen people in connection with the March 21 blast, which prompted the government to order a nationwide inspection of chemical firms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A week after that explosion, seven died following a blast at an electronics component manufacturer in the same province.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In November, a gas leak at a plant in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou -- which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics -- killed 24 people and injured 21 others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Leaked chloroethylene came in contact with a fire source causing the explosion, authorities said in a February report, which also claimed the Chinese chemical firm responsible for the accident had concealed information and misled investigators.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In 2015, China suffered one of its worst industrial accidents when giant chemical blasts in the northern port city of Tianjin killed at least 165 people.</p>
<p class="title">The death toll from a huge explosion that rocked a gas plant in central China rose to 12, state media said Saturday, with three people still missing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Friday's blast at the Henan Coal Gas Group factory left another 13 people seriously wounded and more with light injuries, said official news agency Xinhua.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The blast shattered windows and doors of buildings in a three-kilometre (1.9-mile) radius.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It occurred in the air separation unit of Henan Coal's factory, state broadcaster CCTV said, with Xinhua saying a device in the factory exploded at 5:45 pm on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All production at the plant has been stopped. More than 270 rescuers are on the scene searching for the missing people, Xinhua said, citing the emergency management ministry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Many windows and doors within a three-kilometre radius were shattered, and some interior doors were also blown out by the blast," CCTV said on its Twitter-like Weibo social media account.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Local media showed amateur videos of a massive column of black smoke billowing from the factory and debris littering the roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Other images showed the doors and windows of homes blown out and shuttered shops with dented metal fronts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bloodied man was seen being helped out of a van in a video posted on social media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Deadly industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In March, a blast at a chemical plant in eastern Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured hundreds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The powerful explosion in the eastern city of Yancheng toppled several buildings in the industrial park, blew out windows of nearby homes and even dented metal garage doors.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Authorities detained two dozen people in connection with the March 21 blast, which prompted the government to order a nationwide inspection of chemical firms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A week after that explosion, seven died following a blast at an electronics component manufacturer in the same province.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In November, a gas leak at a plant in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou -- which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics -- killed 24 people and injured 21 others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Leaked chloroethylene came in contact with a fire source causing the explosion, authorities said in a February report, which also claimed the Chinese chemical firm responsible for the accident had concealed information and misled investigators.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In 2015, China suffered one of its worst industrial accidents when giant chemical blasts in the northern port city of Tianjin killed at least 165 people.</p>