Gas leakage kills 7 in southwest China

Seven people suffocated to death following a toxic gas leakage at a food-processing factory in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday.

The accident happened around 3 p.m. when a bamboo shoot factory in Changning County in the city of Yibin was undergoing equipment maintenance, the county's publicity department said Tuesday.

The seven victims first slipped into a coma and later died after medical treatment failed to revive them, officials said, adding that another person who was affected in the accident is in a stable condition.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident.