Six dead in China's Inner Mongolia after steel factory blast
The deadly explosion killed six people and injured 84, whilst 4 are still missing.
Smoke rises from the plate plant of steelmaker Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union following an explosion, in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China in this screengrab taken from a social media video released Jan 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/SOCIAL MEDIA)
BEIJING: An explosion at a steel plate factory in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia on Sunday killed six people, and rescue efforts were underway as four remained missing, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday (Jan 19).
The blast left 84 people injured, Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union, whose subsidiary owns the factory, said in a stock exchange filing earlier on Monday.
The steelmaker said the explosion of a saturated water and steam tank at its Baotou city unit damaged parts of factory buildings and equipment and was expected to affect production at the plate mill and adjacent facilities. The company said it was still assessing the extent of losses.
The injured were admitted to hospital, and the company is cooperating with authorities investigating the still unknown cause of the blast, it added.
Three of the injured were in critical condition, state broadcaster CCTV had said on Sunday.
Baotou Steel Union said ecological monitoring showed the incident had no impact on the surrounding atmosphere or soil, and generated no wastewater at the site.
