Chinese steel factory officials detained after explosion that leaves 2 dead, 8 missing

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese police have detained those in charge of a steel factory in the Inner Mongolia region after an explosion killed two people and left 84 others hospitalized.

A rescue team was searching for eight people who remain unaccounted for, a representative of the Baotou city Information Office said at a news conference Monday.

The blast around 3 p.m. Sunday at a Baogang United Steel plant in Baotou caused tremors in the surrounding area and sent a massive cloud of white smoke skyward.

A pressurized storage tank designed to hold steam and high-temperature water exploded in the factory, city officials.

Baogang United Steel is a major state-owned company.