China power station blast kills 21 people

A pipeline explosion at a power station in China killed at least 21 people and injured five more yesterday, the official Xinhua news service reported.

The blast, which Xinhua said happened in a high-pressure steam pipeline, came a day before the first anniversary of giant explosions that killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin.

The latest incident occurred at a coal-fired power plant in Dangyang, in the central province of Hubei, and rescue efforts were underway, reports said.

A photograph purportedly from the scene showed a bare concrete shell and metal scaffolding standing by a smokestack. The local government said it was investigating the cause.

Three people were seriously injured and were being treated in hospital, reports said. Newspapers said the company was registered for power generation and sales of slag ash and petroleum products.