Factory explosion in China's Inner Mongolia region kills 2, hospitalizes 84

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Monday, January 19, 2026

19/01/2026

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, smoke rises from the site of explosions from a factory in Baotou, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Jan 18. (AP)

BEIJING, Jan 19, (AP): Chinese police detained those in charge of a steel factory in the Inner Mongolia region after an explosion on Sunday killed two people and left 84 others hospitalized. Eight other people remain unaccounted for.

A pressurized storage tank designed to hold steam and high-temperature water exploded in the factory, Baotou city officials said Monday. The blast occurred at a Baogang United Steel plant in the city of Baotou around 3 p.m. local time Sunday and caused tremors in the surrounding areas.

A rescue team was searching for the eight people who are missing, said a representative of the Baotou city's Information Office at a news conference on Monday morning. Baogang United Steel is a major state-owned company, according to state media.