Explosion of steam pipe at Chinese power station kills 21

BEIJING, China -- An official report says a high-pressure steam pipe has exploded at a power station in central China, killing 21 people and injuring five others.

The official newspaper of Hubei province said the blast occurred Thursday at the power plant in the city of Danyang. It said officials rushed to the site to oversee rescue efforts and the cause of the explosion was being investigated.

China continues to suffer from frequent industrial accidents despite a central government-ordered drive to upgrade safety.

Those efforts were redoubled after a massive series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in the eastern port city of Tianjin a year ago killed 173 people - mostly firefighters and police - in one of China's worst-ever workplace accidents.