18 killed as blasts rip through Chinese cotton mill

At least 18 people have been killed by a series of explosions in northern China.

In a brief report, Xinhua news agency said major explosions rocked living quarters in the No 3 Cotton Mill and other parts of Shijiazhuang city.

Officials from the city and from Hebei province, where Shijiazhuang is located, have rushed to the scene to oversee rescue efforts.

An investigation into the tragedy has begun, the report said.

The blasts came 10 days after an explosion at an elementary school in southern Jiangxi province killed at least 42 people, most of them children.

That explosion highlighted China's deadly lack of safety measures and embarrassed leaders meeting in Beijing for the annual session of China's legislature.