The fire broke out just after 6am today (Monday 3 June) in a slaughterhouse owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township of Dehui City, about 100 km northeast of the provincial capital Changchun.

According to reports on the official Chinese newsagency Xinhua more than 300 workers were in the plant when the fire broke out.

Survivors told Xinhua, adding they heard a sudden bang and then witnessed dark smoke.

About 100 workers escaped from the plant butr some estimates have put the death toll up to around 100.

The environmental watchdog has begun monitoring the environmental impact of the fire.

Rescue work is under way, while the exact number of those who were trapped in the plant has yet to be confirmed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company has 1,200 employees and an output of 67,000 tonnes of chicken products a year.