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Cement tank drops in NE China, 7 killed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-13 22:02

HARBIN -- A fallen cement tank killed five and injured four at a concrete factory in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Wednesday, local authorities said.

The tank fell from its base at 2:50 p.m. when a truck was pumping cement to the tank in a factory in Wuchang City of Harbin, the provincial capital, said an official with the Harbin Municipal Government.

By 6 p.m., five bodies had been found and the four injured had been taken to hospital, the official said.

Two more bodies were found as of 8 p.m. bringing the death toll to seven, the official said, adding that no more people were trapped beneath the tank.

Government officials arrived at the scene before 4 p.m. for an initial investigation.

The investigation shows that the tank was blown off its base by the wind, said an official with the municipal administration of work safety, adding that no cement leaked from the tank.