A total of 12 people have been killed, 13 severely injured and three others remain missing as of 4 p.m. Saturday after an explosion ripped through a gas plant in central China's Henan Province Friday, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).

More than 270 rescuers are searching for the missing people, said the ministry.

A device in the gas factory owned by the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co. Ltd., located in the city of Yima, exploded at around 5:45 p.m. Friday, according to the government of Sanmenxia City, which administers Yima.

The blast also left an unidentified number of people slightly injured, according to local government. The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment.

The MEM has sent a work team and the National Health Commission has dispatched medical experts to the site.

Further investigation is underway.