Last week's chemical plant explosion in North China's Hebei province which killed 25 people and injured 46 was due to poor management practices at the factory, Luo Lin, minister of the State Administration of Work Safety, said on Monday.

The investigation into the blast is ongoing, but preliminary findings point to human error, Luo told China Daily on the sidelines of the ongoing plenary session of the National People's Congress.

Some 100 workers were in the factory on Feb 28 when the blast ripped through the building in Zhaoxian county, Hebei province.