Estimates of deaths ranging from 60 to more than 100 are being reported from the blaze that hit a poultry processing plant owned by Jilin Boayuanfeng Poultry Co. in Dhui, Jilin, China, on June 2.
More than 500 firefighters were called to the facility, which was constructed as recently as 2009. The company employs nearly 1,200 people, however it remains unclear how many were working at the plant at the time of the fire or how many died.
Various news agencies reported that the fire was preceded by an explosion, the result either of an ammonia leak or an electrical fault. It is reported that the premises was kept locked during working hours and that escape was made more difficult by the building's complicated layout, which added to the panic of those trying to escape. Dozens of injured people have been taken to hospital.
The facility produced 67,000 tons of chicken products annually.
