At least 40 people have died after a part of under-construction power station collapsed on Thursday in Fengcheng, a county city in the northern Jiangxi province. This is the latest accident in China where spate of industrial accidents have occurred in recent years.

The official news agency Xinhua reported that the accident occurred after a cooling-tower platform crashed into the grounds during early hours of Thursday morning. The agency could not ascertain the exact number of people trapped beneath the tower. 

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However, initial report claims that there were 68 people at site when the accident occurred.  

The rescue operation is still under way, with 32 fire engines and 212 military personnel reportedly deployed at the industrial site.   

Xinhua has already confirmed that at least 40 people are confirmed dead in the latest industrial accident, adding that the death toll is "likely to rise as unknown numbers of people are still trapped."

Several photos have been doing rounds on Chinese internet sites depicting the grim pictures of the accident. Many photos are showing rescue workers carrying bodies from the site on stretchers that were wrapped in orange sheeting.

According to local newspaper Jiangxi Daily, two 168 meter-high cooling towers were being constructed at the site to add two 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power units to the power plant.

The accident at Fengcheng power plant is yet another grim reminder that many of China's industrial sites are prone to major accidents, risking the lives of thousands of people.

In what was one of the deadliest industrial accidents in China, a powerful explosion in Tianjin port left at least 170 people dead last year.  

TagsAccidents in China, Industrial Accidents in China, china, Power Plant Accidents in China