17 Killed by Factory Explosions at Parts Factory in China

Three explosions at a vehicle component plant in Foshan, China, killed 17 workers and injured 20 others on Dec. 31, according to the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency.

The cause of the blasts at Fuwa Engineering Manufacturing Co. was not disclosed. The company makes car parts and axles for commercial vehicles.

The Fuwa blasts came five months after a single explosion at Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Co.'s wheel-finishing plant in Kunshan killed 75 people and injured 185. That accident, blamed on flammable dust in the factory, prompted officials to temporarily suspend operations at 268 other facilities in China that process aluminum, magnesium and other materials.