In pictures: China factory fire

Medical staff wait near a poultry processing plant that was engulfed by a fire in Dehui, north-east China's Jilin province, 3 June 2013

Grim scenes awaited medical staff attending a devastating fire that swept through a poultry processing plant in Dehui, in China's north-east Jilin province, early on Monday.

At least 119 people died, said state media. While there are fears the death toll will rise as firefighters search the building for bodies, the fire is already the worst at a factory in living memory in China, according to a labour activist.

The cause of the fire - which left the modern building a charred and twisted wreck - is not yet confirmed, but reports are pointing to a leak of ammonia, used in the factory's cooling system.

A huge rescue operation was soon under way. But comments on social media highlighted anger over lax safety standards which continue to plague Chinese industry.

Survivors said they found their escape routes blocked by locked doors. Some relatives said the doors were routinely locked. An investigation is under way.