A fire at a factory in the Chinese city of Anyang in the Henan province has killed 38 people with two others injured, state media reported.
The fire broke out at Kaixinda Trading Co Ltd in the Wenfeng District, or "High-tech Zone", in Anyang City, the report said.
Earlier, two people were reported missing while two others were sent to hospital for treatment with minor injuries.
The fire started yesterday afternoon and fire teams sent 63 vehicles to the scene, local media reported.
"After receiving the alarm, the municipal fire rescue detachment immediately dispatched forces to the scene," CCTV reported.
"Public security, emergency response, municipal administration, and power supply units rushed to the scene at the same time to carry out emergency handling and rescue work," it said, adding the fire was extinguished by around 11pm local time.
Footage from the scene shared by state media showed thick plumes of black smoke from the fire, with at least two trucks in position to battle the flames.
Videos posted on social media showed a fire at the industrial site spewing dense grey smoke into the sky while other images showed nearby buildings strewn with shards of glass and frightened locals fleeing the blast.
Psychological counsellors were on the scene for families of the victims, according to a government statement.
Local officials said the public security department has controlled relevant criminal suspects, but did not disclose further details or elaborate.
It is understood that Kaixinda is a small private business and no reason has been given as a cause of the fire.
News of the Anyang City fire followed reports of an explosion at a chemical factory in nearby Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province yesterday.
Industrial accidents are common in China, and have been caused by poor compliance with safety rules in the past.
In March 2019, an explosion at a chemical factory in Yancheng, located 260km from Shanghai, killed 78 people and devastated homes in a radius of several kilometres.
In 2015, a giant explosion in northern Tianjin at a chemical warehouse killed 165 people in what was one of China's worst-ever industrial accidents.
