BEIJING (AP) — Authorities say at least seven people were killed and five injured when a container containing scrap metal exploded in the latest in a series of industrial accidents in eastern China.

Sunday morning's blast in the city of Kunshan in Jiangsu province caused a fire that spread to a nearby workshop. The Kunshan city government said on its microblog that the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

In March, 78 people were killed in a blast at a chemical plan in the Jiangsu province city of Yancheng that had numerous safety violations. In November, at least 22 people were killed and scores of vehicles destroyed in an explosion outside a chemical plant in the northeastern city of Zhangjiakou, which will host competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics.