Fire Kills 119 at Chinese Poultry Slaughterhouse (UPDATED)

{{A fire at a locked poultry slaughterhouse in northeastern China killed at least 119 people on Monday with several people still unaccounted for, the local government and state media said.}}

The fire broke out just after dawn near Dehui in Jilin province, the provincial government said on its official microblog.

More than 300 workers were in the plant when the fire broke out, with employees reporting hearing a sudden bang and then seeing dark smoke.

“About 100 workers have managed to escape from the plant whose gate was locked when the fire occurred” .

“The complicated interior structure of the prefabricated house in which the fire broke out and the narrow exits have added difficulties to the rescue work,” it added.

The exact number of people unaccounted for was unclear, as was the cause of the fire.

The Jilin government said 54 people were injured and had been rushed to hospital.

{Xinhua}