One worker was killed and six were injured after a blast ripped through a smelting factory in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tuesday, the local work safety watchdog said.

A furnace at a lead and antimony plant in Hechi city exploded at about 7:40 a.m., when seven workers were clearing dregs from the furnace, said Huang Aichang, an official with the municipal work safety supervision administration.

One person died at the scene and one of the six injured was in a serious condition.

An initial investigation showed the workers detected a problem in the furnace and sprayed it with cold water to cool it down for maintenance, which triggered the explosion.

The plant belongs to the Nanfang Nonferrous Metals Refining Co. Ltd., a private company set up in 1995. It produces about 60,000 tonnes of lead and antimony, 50,000 tonnes of sulfuric acid, and other metal and chemical products a year.

Officials with the administration are investigating the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2009)