Blast At Chinese Chemical Plant Kills 13

An explosion at a chemical plant in northern China has killed at least 13 people and injured 43.

BEIJING (AP) -- An explosion at a chemical plant in northern China has killed at least 13 people and injured 43.

Officials and state media say Tuesday's blast flattened a workshop at the Hebei Zhaoxian Kerr Chemical Co. on the outskirts of the Hebei provincial capital of Shijiazhuang and shattered windows in surrounding villages.

The state Work Safety Administration says on its website that the blast happened during the production of a high-energy fuel and propellant, guanidine nitrate. The agency says 13 people were killed and 43 injured.

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