The death toll from a huge explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China rose to 12 on Friday after rescuers pulled dozens of people from the area, state media said.

The blaze "has been controlled" by firefighters hours after Thursday's blast left an industrial park burning into the night in Yancheng in Jiangsu province, according to broadcaster CCTV.

As of the early hours of Friday, a total of 88 people were "rescued" from the area, including 12 who died in the disaster, CCTV said.

City officials had previously said that at least six people were killed in the explosion, which left dozens injured in the latest incident to put a spotlight on China's chequered industrial safety record.

The explosion -- so powerful that it apparently triggered a small 2.2-magnitude earthquake -- knocked down factory buildings and shattered the windows of surrounding homes and a school, according to images seen on local media.

China's recent industrial disasters
Beijing (AFP) March 21, 2019 - The deadly explosion that tore through a chemical plant in eastern China on Thursday was the latest in a string of industrial accidents in the country.

At least six people were killed and dozens more injured in the blast that shook an industrial park in the city of Yancheng, Jiangsu province.

Here are some of the worst accidents to hit China in recent years:

- Zhangjiakou gas leak -

In November, a gas leak at a plant in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou -- among the host locations for the 2022 Winter Olympics -- killed 24 people and injured 21 others.

Leaked chloroethylene came in contact with a fire source causing the explosion, authorities said in a February report that revealed the Chinese chemical firm responsible for the accident had concealed information and misled investigators.

Authorities pointed to the company's lack of safety measures and "chaotic" management for contributing to the blast.

- Sichuan chemical plant -

Last July, a blast at a chemical plant in southwest Sichuan province left 19 dead and 12 injured. The company had undertaken illegal construction that had not passed safety checks, according to local authorities.

Photos of the plant showed what appeared to be the burned-out shell of a building surrounded by rubble.

- Beijing lab explosion -

Three students were killed in a laboratory blast at a Beijing university in December in an accident that blew out windows and left the building a blackened shell.

A scientific research experiment on wastewater treatment in the university's environmental engineering laboratory had caused the explosion.

- Tianjin blast -

In 2015, giant chemical blasts at a container storage facility killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin.

The explosions caused more than $1 billion in damage and sparked widespread anger at a perceived lack of transparency over the accident's causes and its environmental impact.

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