Rescue workers have found the bodies of five people who were missing after a devastating factory fire in Pingyang County, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday evening. That brings the death toll from the disaster to 15, said sources from Zhejiang Provincial Fire Control Brigade.

More than 40 employees were working in the factory when the fire broke out at 7:30 PM Wednesday at the Wenzhou Glory Leather Products Company.

Firefighters were not able to get the blaze under control until about 3:00 AM the following morning.

At first, authorities believed that the fire killed only one person and seriously injured two, but by 9:00 AM Thursday, the number confirmed dead had risen to 10 and those injured to 12, with five still missing.

All the injured are now hospitalized in stable condition.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The local government held an emergency conference to discuss the need for closer attention to safety procedures.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2004)