An explosion ‍at a steel plate ​factory in north China’s ‌Inner ​Mongolia region killed two people and left five missing, according to local emergency management and fire ​rescue departments, China’s ⁠state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The explosion occurred at a ​plate plant ⁠of steelmaker Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union in Baotou ‌city at around 3 ‌p.m. on Sunday (January 18, 2026), CCTV reported.

Sixty-six ‍people were hospitalized after the blast, ‍with three in critical condition, the report said.

Local authorities dispatched rescue teams to the site to carry ⁠out search and rescue operations following ​the incident, and the ⁠cause of the explosion remains under investigation, it said.