Shipyard explosion in Chinese province of Fujian injures 12

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - An explosion at a shipyard in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian on Thursday has injured 12 people, local authorities said in a statement.

A fire broke out at 1:09 p.m. local time (0509 GMT) in the Huahai shipyard in the city of Fuan, the city's fire and rescue agency said.

About an hour later, an explosion occurred while firefighters were battling the blaze.

Ten fire-and-rescue personnel and two members of the public were hurt in the blast. All have been taken to hospital for treatment, local authorities said.

Firefighting efforts were ongoing.

The southeastern coastal province of Fujian, which lies across the Taiwan Strait from democratically governed Taiwan, is a significant shipbuilding and ship-repair hub.

-Reporting by Beijing Newsroom. Editing by Mark Potter/Reuters