(Updates with latest toll, blaze extinguished) BEIJING, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A series of explosions ripped through a chemical plant in southern China on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 57, state media reported. Another eight people were missing after the blasts at the factory in Guangxi's Yizou city, which produced chemicals used for making paints and adhesives. Some 11,500 residents were forced to evacuate the area. Ongoing explosions at the plant had hampered efforts by firefighters to extinguish the blaze, which eventually spread over more than 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft), Xinhua news agency said. By evening, the fire had been extinguished. The report did not say whether local waterways might be affected by leaks. The plant, owned by the Guangxi Guangwei Chemical Co., mainly produces polyvinyl acetate, calcium carbide and vinyl acetate monomer -- chemicals used in making paints, adhesives and coatings, Xinhua said. The cause of the blasts was still being investigated, and it was not immediately known how many people were in the plant when the initial explosion occurred, the report added. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Lindsay Beck)
Christians and human rights activists hold a protest against Beijing's policy toward North Korean defectors in Seoul August 25, 2008. The protesters congratulated the success of the Beijing Olympics and demanded ...
