CRI听力:Xi Demands All-out Efforts to Treat Blast Survivors

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to treat the survivors of a deadly factory blast in the eastern city of Kunshan.

At least 69 people were killed and more than 180 others injured after a blast ripped through a factory on Saturday.

More than 200 workers were on the site when the incident happened.

Outside a local hospital, relatives of victims were seen waiting anxiously for the traumatic condition of their loved ones.

Zhang Fagen, one of the relatives, said he is still out of touch with his son, daughter-in-law and niece who were at the explosion site.

"I heard one blast and rushed immediately to the factory. I saw injured people lying down on ground, and people were identifying them. I didn't know where they were, they seemed to be vanished. I called them from time to time but the calls were all disconnected."

Local health authorities said most of the injured suffered burns and have been treated in hospitals in Kunshan and the nearby cities of Suzhou, Wuxi and Shanghai.

President Xi Jinping has demanded a full investigation into the accident and harsh punishments for those responsible.

Local officials said the explosion was a work safety accident, and the blast was probably caused by flames igniting dust inside the workshop.

Two senior executives at the Kunshan Zhongrong metal products company have been placed under police custody.