A toxic chemical leak has claimed the lives of 8 workers in China and left another 3 wounded, the Mail reported on Saturday.

The leak took place as workers were unloading a shipment of methyl formate from a vehicle at a chemical handling facility in Guiyang, a south-western city in China.

The China National Emergency Broadcasting said an investigation is underway.

Methyl formate is used as an insecticide and in a variety of chemical processes. It can cause skin irritation and may be toxic if inhaled or ingested.

Industrial accidents, many involving chemicals, have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years, including 78 at a plant in eastern China in 2019.

Among the worst incidents was a massive 2015 blast at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them police officers and firefighters.