An explosion at a biotech factory in northern China has tragically killed eight people, local officials and state media reported, marking one of the latest in a string of industrial accident fatalities in the country. 

According to state broadcaster Xinhua, eight bodies had been confirmed at the scene of the blast at Jiapeng Biotech Company in Shanyin County, Shuozhou city, by 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, following an explosion that struck in the early hours of Saturday. 

Authorities say the explosion occurred in a production workshop of the company, which is situated roughly 400 kilometres west of Beijing, and that clean-up and rescue efforts continued as emergency teams combed through debris. Smoke was still visible above the site, and workers were conducting grid-by-grid searches to ensure no one else was missing. 

Local officials have established an accident investigation team to determine the cause of the blast, and the company's legal representative has been taken into custody as part of the inquiry, state media reported. 

Eyewitnesses described feeling the explosion as a tremor that rattled nearby homes, with some residents initially mistaking the shock for an earthquake. Emergency responders arrived quickly, but the intensity of the blast left little hope of finding survivors once recoveries began. 

Industrial accidents remain a concern in China, where safety standards and enforcement have often been scrutinised after similar incidents in recent years. Investigators are expected to release updates as the official probe into the cause of the explosion continues.