Residents of a county in southwest China will receive free physical examinations after a local factory was found to be responsible for a chlorine gas leak that sickened dozens of people, according to the local government.

The gas leak led to the hospitalization of 175 children in Tongzi County, Guizhou Province. Thirty-four of those children are still hospitalized but are in stable condition, a spokesman from the country's emergency management office said Monday.

The spokesman said local government plans to offer villagers living around the factory free door-to-door physical examinations and will compensate those who have been affected by the leak.

Students of the Yuantian Primary School, which is located near the county's Zunbao Titanium Plant, and villagers were hospitalized after complaining of nausea, stomachaches and difficulty breathing on Friday.

A preliminary investigation showed that a mechanical failure caused the plant to discharge a large amount of chlorine gas at 11:10 a.m Friday.

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