Death toll rises to 9 after explosion at north China rare earth steel plant

The death toll from an explosion at a rare earth steel plant in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has risen to nine.The explosion occurred at 3pm on Sunday at the Baotou Steel Group’s rare earth steel plant in Baotou, according to the city government.As of Tuesday, the accident has injured 84 people, killed nine and left one person missing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.The Ministry of Emergency Management sent a working group led by Vice-Minister Song Yuanming to the scene on Monday to guide rescue efforts.The Work Safety Committee of the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced on Monday that the accident would come under its direct supervision and demanded that Inner Mongolia’s regional government conduct a swift investigation, submit its findings and release the results.The local state media outlet, the Inner Mongolia Daily, reported that Wang Weizhong, the region’s Communist Party chief, also visited the accident site on Sunday evening.Wang said that Cai Qi, China’s fifth-ranking official and chief of staff to President Xi Jinping, had given instructions regarding the accident. Cai oversees China’s ideological work and rarely provides direct guidance on safety incidents.