Two people have been killed and more than 100 are ill after a cylinder of liquid chlorine exploded around 3 am Monday, in Pingyang County, east China's Zhejiang Province.

At least eight of those poisoned were still in critical condition.

Rescue work is still underway, according to local sources.

The tragedy occurred when the steel cylinder containing a ton of liquid chlorine suddenly blew up in Liandong Village of Aojiang Town, Wenzhou City, where the illegal use of chemicals to bleach acrylic fiber in household workshops is common.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2003)