The death toll from an oil pipeline explosion in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao has risen to 44, according to authorities.
The blast ripped roads apart, turning cars over and sending thick black smoke billowing over the city, pictures on Saturday showed.
The pipeline, run by state-owned oil giant Sinopec, sprang a leak early on Friday and exploded hours later as workers sought to repair it, the Qingdao municipal government said on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
Sinopec chairman Fu Chengyu told state television on Saturday: "(We) are deeply grieved, we express our deep condolences for the dead, our support to their families (...) and our apologies to the whole country.
"(We'll) find out the accident's causes as soon as possible and give a reasonable explanation to everyone."
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China has a poor record on industrial safety as lax law enforcement and corruption enables business owners to cut corners or offer bribes to evade standards.
About 28,000 people were killed or went missing in workplace accidents in the first half of this year, state media have reported.
