Parts of Baoyuanfeng poultry plant at Denhui, in the northeastern province of Jilin in China, was ravaged by explosions and fire on Monday early morning, killing at least 119 people and seriously injuring at least 60 others.

Local officials say it is one of the country's worst factory accidents in recent years. The complicated interior structure of the prefabricated house where the fire broke out and the narrow exits have made rescue work more difficult.

Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co., which owns the Mishazi plant, was established and started production in September 2009. The poultry integrator's operations include feed manufacturing, breeding, hatcheries, poultry contract farming, slaughtering, further processing and retail. It produces 67,000 tonnes of chicken products every year and its turnover was CNY230 million (US$37.55 million) in 2010.