Bangkok, May 6 (IANS) Twelve people died in a blast at a petrochemical factory in southern Thailand, the authorities said Sunday.

The explosion occurred around 3.30 p.m. Saturday in Map Ta Phut industrial estate of Rayong province, Xinhua reported. Nearly 130 others were injured.
The injured were shifted to hospitals, Deputy Public Health Minister Surawit Khonsomboon said. The government will bear the cost of their treatment.