Furnace explosion in E. Thailand injures 10

Six people suffered serious injuries while four others were hurt in a furnace explosion at an iron cast plant in the Amata City industrial estate in eastern Thailand, Thai media reported Thursday.

The small blast in Applied Metal Precision Technology Co., a company from China's Taiwan, took place at around 10 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) when workers were pouring molten iron into nine furnaces with a temperature of 1,200 degrees Celsius.

According to Thai media Thairath, 10 workers, including a 40-year-old Chinese, were injured. Among them, six Thais aged from 20 to 28 suffered from severe burns. All the victims were hospitalized.

Authorities are investigating the incident. An initial investigation has shown that the furnaces were not tightly covered when some burnt metal chips went out and ignited the furnaces. Endit