Wang Long, a 34-year-old steelworker at Baogang Group in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, died when he threw away his safety helmet and gloves and leaped into a furnace, according to a statement by the company on Tuesday.

Wang went missing during his night shift on March 24, and some staff members immediately began to search for him, the statement said.

A video monitor captured what authorities confirmed as a suicide a little before 11 pm on March 24.

The local emergency management department said the case would not be classified as a production safety issue, the statement said.

Wang's workmates said he was an introvert and unmarried. He had purchased stock shares and futures via securities companies for a long time and had suffered a loss of more than 60,000 yuan ($9,167) on March 24. It was suspected that he took his own life because of excessive debt that couldn't be repaid.

The company said it will offer any assistance it can to investigators, the statement said.