Gas leak in China kills 17

A gas leak at a steel plant near Beijing killed 17 people, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. Two workers died instantly from the leak at a blast furnace in Zunhua city.

A gas leak at a steel plant near Beijing killed 17 people on Wednesday, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. Two workers died instantly from the leak at a blast furnace in Zunhua city, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) east of Beijing in Hebei province, Xinhua said.

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Twenty-seven people were also injured.

The accident occurred at the Ganglu Iron and Steel Co Ltd, Xinhua said, which has 7,000 employees.

Local authorities have ordered the blast furnace to cease production, and top medical specialists have been called in to treat injured workers, it said.

An investigation into the cause of the leak is under way, Xinhua said.