NANJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a chemical plant blast in east China's Jiangsu Province had risen to 16 Friday night with retrieval of the four bodies of the missing, according to local authorities.

The blast, which took place at 8:45 a.m. Friday at the Fuyuan Chemical Plant, a Sino-German joint venture in Linhai Township of Sheyang County, toppled the workshop. The plant produces Dichloro Fluoro Benzene for industry.

The 19 people who were injured in the blast has been hurried to hospital.

More than 7,000 people in a radius of two kilometers around the Fuyuan Chemical Plant have been evacuated, rescuers said.

Qiu He, vice governor of Jiangsu Province, rushed to the plant to supervise rescue work.

Cause of the accident is under investigation.

The local government department in charge of environmental protection is closely monitoring air and water quality near the site.

Government of the Sheyang County has ordered all chemical industries suspend production for check-up. Enditem