Car factory blast in China kills over 40

Beijing - An explosion at an automotive parts factory in eastern China on Saturday morning killed between 40 and 65 people, state media reported.

State broadcaster CCTV said in a brief report that the blast in Kunshan city in Jiangsu province left 65 people dead. The official Xinhua News Agency put the death toll at more than 40 with over 120 people injured.

The blast occurred at 07:37 at a car polishing workshop of a metal products company, Xinhua said.

Officials were investigating the cause of the blast and working on rescue efforts and providing medical treatment.

Calls to the city's government and police rang unanswered.

Kunshan is about 1 000km southeast of Beijing.