TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The death toll of an explosion at a chemical plant in the Chinese city of Yancheng rose to 47, while 90 were seriously injured and almost 1,000 residents had to be evacuated, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The blast Thursday created a crater and registered 2.2 on the Richter scale, with windows being blown out as far as 6 kilometers away, according to the AP.

Schools were closed in the area with residents being moved out in the event of further leaks and explosions.

President Xi Jinping called in from his state visit to Italy to demand “all-out efforts” to rescue victims and stronger environmental monitoring to prevent more industrial disasters.

The company where the blast occurred, Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co., has a dismal safety record, the AP reported. Just last year, the authorities found 13 types of safety hazards, some of them involving tanks of toxic benzene believed to be the source of the explosion.

Previously, the company’s chairman and another official were convicted of burying toxic waste near a temple and at a village landfill, reports said.