SHANGHAI, Apr. 18 -- Thirty tons of molten steel spilled from a falling ladle, killing 32 workers and injuring two in a Liaoning steelmaking plant this morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 32 victims were working in a room away from where the ladle was being operated when the accident happened at 7:45am in the plant owned by Qinghe Special Steel Co Ltd in Tieling City in Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The ladle suddenly dropped when being moved to a new location, and 30 tons of molten steel spilled out and poured into the room five meters away, killing all the people inside.

Two operators were slightly injured and escaped from the scene by themselves, the report said.

Those responsible for the incident were under supervision, the report said.

Vice provincial governor Li Jia and vice provincial Party secretary Luo Lin reachedhave gone to the scene to guide the rescue work.

But the rescuer work was hindered by the heat from the molten steel, the report said.

The company, jointly set up with Dalian Steel Plant in 1987, has 650 staff, including 42 technicians, the report said.

It produced 70,000 tons of steel last year and earned 300 million yuan (US$38.8 million) in revenue. The company plans to produce 120,000 tons of products this year, the report said.