President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to find and treat victims of a chemical plant explosion in eastern China. The death toll has climbed past 60. Over 20 others injured are in critical condition. More than 70 others are severely injured and nearly 30 people are still missing. This morning, a 40-year-old man was rescued, alive and well. It was one of the country's worst industrial accidents in recent years. CGTN's Xu Mengqi reports.  

A powerful explosion ripped through the Tianjiayi chemical plant, sending shockwaves several kilometers away.

The blast destroyed nearby cars and buildings, and killed dozens of people.

LIU ZONGBAO CONSTRUCTION WORKER "I was working there at the time, and all of a sudden there was a blast and things started falling off. Then I looked around and it was pitch-black. I was deafened. And I immediately started running." 

GONG CUIPING LOCAL RESIDENT "The shockwave flipped my entire body and I fell flat on the ground. The door was completely deformed. I was stunned."

While people with more severe injuries have been transferred to municipal-level hospitals, hundreds are still receiving treatment locally.

WANG JIFANG, DEPUTY PARTY SECRETARY PEOPLE'S HOSPITAL OF XIANGSHUI COUNTY "The patients we took in were mainly hurt in the head, face, and neck. There were stab or crush wounds and scratches, and some had fractures as well." 

The fire raged for more than 16 hours. Help poured in from neighboring cities and provinces.

But it was not only time that rescue workers battled against.

They took steps to prevent chemical leaks from contaminating the environment.

QIAN JIANG, CHIEF ENGINEER DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT OF JIANGSU PROVINCE "Downstream of the blast site, there are no places where drinking water is sourced. So, drinking water is not affected. We have also blocked the sluice between the park's inner river and the outer Guan river to stop the latter from being contaminated." 

As the death toll continues to rise, authorities say they will spare no effort to treat the injured and rescue any survivors who are still trapped.

Xu Mengqi, CGTN, Xiangshui, Jiangsu Province.