Chemical Plant Blast May Have Vaporized Workers, Fire Chief Says

An aerial view shows a chemical plant after an explosion in Yancheng in China's eastern Jiangsu province, on March 23, 2019. - The death toll in a chemical plant explosion in China rose to 64 on March 23 but rescuers found a survivor among more than two dozen still missing in the debris of one of the country's worst industrial accidents in recent years. STR/AFP/Getty Images

The official death toll from the massive blast last week at a chemical plant in China’s Jiangsu Province is being questioned after the region’s fire chief suggested that individuals caught at the center of the explosion may have been vaporized, according to a report by state-run media The Global Times on March 24.

As of March 25, official numbers rose to 78 killed, and 13 critically injured by the blast. More than 600 others were injured, and 28 are missing.