BEIJING — At least 68 people were killed Saturday morning when a blast tore through a metal products factory in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province, state-run news media reported.

According to the national broadcaster CCTV, 187 others were injured in the explosion, which occurred at 7:37 a.m. in Kunshan, a city not far from Shanghai. Kunshan is home to a number of factories that make components for China’s thriving automotive industry.

The victims, many of them young migrant workers, had just started the day shift, which begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m., according to news reports.

The factory, run by a Taiwanese-owned company, Zhongrong, specializes in polishing metal wheel rims. Its customers include General Motors and other American companies, according to the company’s website, which prominently features the slogan “quality and safety.”