4 Chinese workers killed in explosion in Ecuador

QUITO - Four Chinese workers were killed by an explosion at the construction site of the Sopladora hydroelectric station in Ecuador, the Chinese embassy has confirmed Wednesday.

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The blast broke out on Tuesday evening at about 20:00 local time near Cuenca, Ecuador's third largest city, and the four workers were working in a vertical shaft when the explosion occurred. After over five hours of rescue, the remains of the four workers had been found.

There were no other casualties in the accident. The Sopladora hydropower station, one of the most important hydroelectric projects in Ecuador, is built by Gezhouba Group, a Chinese construction and engineering company based in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China.

The company is undertaking another two water conservancy projects in Ecuador. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The Chinese embassy has offered help to appropriately handle the aftermath.