A view of the Ganglu Iron and Steel Co. Ltd.

The death toll has risen to 17 from a blast furnace gas leak at a steel plant in northern Hebei Province after 10 workers died in the hospital Wednesday afternoon, local authorities said.

The leak took place at about 9 a.m. in the Ganglu Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. in Zunhua City, about 150 km east of Beijing, said a spokesman for the municipal government of Tangshan, which administers Zunhua.

A total of 44 people were working around the blast furnace at the time of the leak. Two workers died instantly and five more succumbed to injuries in hospital soon after, he said.

Ten other workers who were seriously injured died in the afternoon after emergency operation failed, he said.

The remaining 27 workers are being treated at different local hospitals and are described in stable condition.

The workers were believed to be poisoned by carbon monoxide that emanated from the blast furnace, he said.

An initial investigation showed the gas leak was caused when an explosion vent panel burst on the top of the furnace's gravity dust filter, he added.

The local government has called in top medical specialists in the city to treat the injured workers.

The blast furnace ceased operation after the accident and no further leaks were reported. Local authorities ordered the company to halt production.

Zunhua is located in Hebei Province, which surrounds Beijing. The Ganglu company, founded in May 2001, has about 7,000 employees. It has an annual output of 3 million tonnes of steel products.

Security guards outside the Ganglu Iron and Steel Co. Ltd.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2008)