A fire at a poultry plant in northeastern China locked workers inside a slaughterhouse, killing approximately 119 in one of China's worst modern day disasters in years according to the Associated Press.
At least 54 other people were injured during the blaze in Jilin province's Mishazi Township, which was started by three early morning explosions, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The local fire department blamed the blasts to an ammonia leak. The chemical is kept "pressurized as part of the cooling system" in meat processing plants according to the Associated Press.
The fire was one of China's worst recent disasters, with the death toll the highest since a September 2008 mining cave-in that took the lives of 281 individuals.
It was the third major industrial blaze to be reported in China in the past week according to Xinhua News.
The two earlier fires were caused by an oil tanker explosion in Liaoning province that caused another oil tank to catch fire, killing two.
The second fire took place in a large granary in Heilongjiang province that destroyed 1,000 tons of grain.
Jason Yan, technical director in Beijing of the U.S. Grains Council, said safety considerations are not always a top priority in China as it takes a backseat to features designed to "maximize production and energy efficiency" according to Yan.
"I'm sure they consider some aspects of safety design. However, I think safety, to me, is not the first priority in their design plan," Yan said according to the Associated Press.
Some employees raised the alarm shortly after the 6 a.m. shit began, and the lights went out. The Workers rushed to find an exit, but many did not.
"When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw high flames," said Wang Fengya, 44, who was sent to a hospital in the nearby provincial capital of Changchun along with three other workers.
The death toll is expected to rise later this week according to the Associated Press.
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