Authorities race to respond to blast at China chemical plant
BEIJING: A large explosion and fire at a chemical plant in China's eastern province of Shandong sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky today, as authorities raced to find the cause.
Authorities did not immediately release information on any casualties.
A local hospital told the Paper, a state-run media outlet, it was treating individuals injured in the explosion, but declined to disclose further details.
More than 200 emergency workers responded to the blast that shook part of a chemical plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Weifang just before noon.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media platforms including Douyin, and verified by Reuters, showed plumes of orange and black smoke billowing into the sky.
Windows of nearby buildings were ripped from their hinges by the explosion, one of the videos showed.
Government officials urged crews to quickly contain the fire and confirm the number of casualties in a statement issued by China's emergency response authority today.
Drone video posted by The Beijing News, a government-run publication, showed smoke emerging from the chemical plant and from a second, unidentified facility nearby.
Baidu maps show other manufacturing companies next to Youdao's plant, including a textile company, a machinery company and a company that makes industrial coating materials.
The Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau dispatched staff to test the site of the blast but said there were no results yet available. The bureau advised nearby residents to wear face masks in the meantime, Beijing News reported.
Shandong Youdao Chemical is owned by Himile Group, which also owns listed Himile Mechanical, shares of which closed down nearly 3.6 per cent today.
Youdao was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park in Weifang, according to the company's website. The plant covers more than 47 hectares (116 acres) and has more than 300 employees.
The company develops, produces and sells chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Blasts at chemical plants in China in recent years have included one in the northwest region of Ningxia in 2024 and another in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023.
Two massive explosions at warehouses containing hazardous and flammable chemicals in the Chinese port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed over 170 people and injured 700 more. That incident prompted the government to tighten laws covering chemical storage.
An explosion in 2015 at another chemical plant in Shandong killed 13 people. - REUTERS
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