China orders factory safety overhaul

China on Monday announced a nationwide safety overhaul on explosive materials following a deadly factory explosion in an eastern province.

The campaign will target factories that process aluminum, magnesium, coal, wood, paper, tobacco, cotton and plastic, among other materials, and have potential ignition sources, the State Council Work Safety Commission said.

A blast in a wheel-polishing workshop of an auto parts plant owned by Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products in the city of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, on Saturday morning left 75 people dead and 185 others injured.

Government investigation has found that "very serious dereliction of duty" was to blame, with poor management by the factory and inadequate implementation of supervision regulations by local government departments, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.