Beijing, July 13 : A blast in an industrial park in China's Sichuan Province killed 19 and injured 12 on Thursday evening, local authorities said.

The blast occurred at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at a chemical plant Hengda in an industrial park in Jiang'an County, Yibin City, according to the provincial work safety administration.

The Jiang'an county government said the fire has been put out on Friday morning. The injured are in stable condition. Further investigation is underway, Xinhua reported.

The company Hengda, registered in June 2015, mainly produces chemical products.

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Bengaluru: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has cautioned hospital personnel against directing patients to nearby pharmacies for prescribed medicines, despite an adequate supply being available in the hospital.

In a post on his 'X' account on Tuesday, the minister stated that the Karnataka government is working to eliminate 'unnecessary' pharmacies near government hospitals. He wrote, "Necessary action has been taken against medical staff who ask patients to get medicines from private pharmacies instead of providing them free medicines at the hospital. Making free medicines available to patients at all primary health centres, community health centres, taluk, and district hospitals in the state is the primary objective of our government."

Discussing medical supplies, Rao said that the government has already successfully addressed issues related to tendering processes. With the necessary drug supply to all government hospitals rising to 70 to 80 percent, the government aims to ensure this supply level reaches 100 percent. The list of medicines available in hospitals has expanded from around 300 to over 1,000, and all these medicines will be provided to patients free of cost, he assured.

"No patient should be denied medication at a hospital, as our government is focused on providing free health facilities. We have implemented the special 'Gruha Arogya' programme for this purpose. Diabetic patients and those with high blood pressure will receive free medicines, which will be delivered to their homes," the health minister stated.

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