Seven people were killed after a fire erupted in the workshop of an iron and steel company on Thursday in Handan, north China's Hebei Province, said local authorities.

The incident happened at a sintering workshop of Hebei Xinhua Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., at 3:30 a.m. local time.

The cause of the incident remains unclear.

(Cover file photo: A worker is seen at workshop of an iron and steel company in north China's Handan city, February 11, 2019. /VCG Photo)