Beijing (AP) – A massive explosion has rattled chemical plants in China. Local emergency management officials report that the incident in the Eastern Eastern Province resulted in at least five fatalities and 19 injuries on Tuesday around noon, with six individuals still unaccounted for.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear at this time.
A video shared by an anonymous resident due to fears of retaliation shows that the blast was powerful enough to shatter windows in a warehouse situated over two miles (3 kilometers) away.
Local residents noted that their homes trembled from the force. Upon checking the window, one individual observed a plume of smoke rising from over seven kilometers (4.3 miles) away.
Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. is based in the industrial park of Weifan city. According to company registration documents, it produces pesticides and chemicals for medical use, employing over 500 people.
In response, local firefighters dispatched more than 230 personnel to the site, as reported by state broadcaster China Central Television.
A student at a school about 1,000 yards from the factory informed a state-run news outlet that they heard the explosion and witnessed dirty yellow smoke mingled with red fumes rising from the facility. The student described the odor as strange and indicated that all students were provided masks and instructed not to remove them.
Officials from the local Environment Bureau stated that teams were deployed to the site to assess potential pollution but had yet to release any findings.
This explosion occurred less than two weeks after the National Ministry of Emergency Management conducted a workshop focused on risk prevention and control within the chemical industry.
Last year, the chemical plant received at least two citations for being a “safety risk.” However, in September, it was commended by the Weifang Emergency Management Bureau for the effective management of workplace risks by party members. Specifically, Gaomi Youdao’s party members identified and rectified over 800 safety hazards in the first eight months of 2024, according to the bureau.
Although workplace safety in China has shown some improvement over the years, it continues to be a pressing issue. The Ministry of Emergency Management recorded 21,800 incidents and 19,600 fatalities in 2024.
Warehouse complexes storing significant quantities of hazardous chemicals were involved in a fire in Tianjin and subsequently exploded in 2015, resulting in 173 casualties, including missing persons.
In 2019, 78 lives were lost due to explosions at chemical plants in Yangchen, Jiangsu Province, on the eastern coast of China.
– –
AP video producer Olivia Zhang, researcher Shihuan Chen in Beijing, and writer Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: apnews.com