An explosion started a fire in a pharmaceutical factory in Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan. It has claimed the life of five people.

Desperate to survive, these two workers chose to jump from the third floor. They were carried by rescuers to nearby hospitals.

The explosion happened just before 10 am, triggering fire and thick smoke on the 4th floor. 16 trucks carried 100 fire fighters to the site. The fire was put out about one hour later. Inside, searchers found 5 bodies. Eight workers were injured, five of them with critically.

Fifteen meters from the burned workshop, only a wall separates the factory from a middle school. Thirteen-hundred students and teachers were evacuated to a playing field at a nearby school.

Test results are now being awaited to see whether the smoke is toxic.

The local government held a news conference in the afternoon, confirming the fire was triggered by a blast, but they did not say what caused the explosion.