Factories and homes in China hit by power cuts

Cooling towers at a coal-fired power station in Nanjing in east China’s Jiangsu province (Chinatopix via AP)

Consumers worldwide face possible shortages of smartphones and other goods ahead of Christmas after power cuts to meet government energy use targets forced Chinese factories to shut down and left some households in the dark.

Twenty-three people were hospitalised with gas poisoning after ventilation in a metal casting factory in the northeastern city of Liaoyang was shut off following a power outage, according to state broadcaster CCTV.