At least 5 dead, 6 missing after China chemical plant blast
An explosion at a chemical plant in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong killed at least five people, with 19 injured and six missing, the state-run Xinhua agency said late on Tuesday.
The blast occurred a few minutes before noon on Tuesday, shaking part of a chemical plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Weifang.
More than 200 emergency workers responded to the blast, according to a statement issued by China's emergency response authority on Tuesday afternoon.
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.
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 on Tuesday.
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 port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed over 170 people and injured 700. That incident prompted the government to tighten laws covering chemical storage.
An explosion in 2015 at another chemical plant in Shandong killed 13 people.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Filipino Times
2 days ago
- Filipino Times
15 foreign nationals, including 11 Filipinos, jailed in Nigeria for cybercrime
A Nigerian court has sentenced 15 foreign nationals—all of Asian origin—to one year in prison and fined them one million naira (approximately $630) each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud, according to the country's anti-corruption agency. The convicted group includes 11 Filipinos, two Chinese, one Malaysian, and one Indonesian. They pleaded guilty before the court in Lagos and were accused of recruiting young Nigerians to commit identity theft and pose as foreigners online, said Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court also ordered the forfeiture of devices seized from the offenders to the Nigerian federal government. Nigeria has long battled a reputation for online scams perpetrated by so-called 'Yahoo Boys.' But recent developments point to a growing presence of international cybercrime syndicates taking advantage of the country's weak digital security infrastructure. According to the EFCC, these foreign-led networks enlist Nigerian accomplices to run phishing scams targeting victims—mostly in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe—seeking to steal money or sensitive personal data. In a major operation last December, the EFCC arrested 792 suspects in Lagos's Victoria Island, including 192 foreign nationals—148 of whom were Chinese. Several of these individuals are currently on trial for related offenses.
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Khaleej Times
After deadly blast at China chemical plant, residents evacuate to safety
Residents near a chemical plant in eastern China were taking stock on Wednesday of the damage to their homes after a huge and still unexplained blast killed at least five, spewed out chemicals and shattered windows as far as a kilometre away. Plumes of black and grey smoke lingered over the plant at Gaomi, a city in the eastern province of Shandong, a day after the explosion, which the official Xinhua news agency said had injured 19, with six more missing. Farmer Yu Qianming said he and his wife had moved their grandchild elsewhere as a precaution, although they felt safe in their home as long as the wind kept blowing in a northerly direction. His family had escaped without injury, the 69-year-old said, while showing Reuters roofing material that fell and windows that shattered in the blast. Local officials have yet to issue the results of air quality tests on Tuesday, after a column of orange and black smoke billowed from the plant. On Wednesday, vehicles patrolled the perimeter of the site that sprawls over more than 47 hectares (116 acres), while drone footage showed multi-storey buildings flattened by the blast. Liu Ming, a 60-year-old who lives 500 m (547 yards) away, said she was considering moving after her home and clothing store suffered extensive damage, though she did not have any firm plans yet. She showed Reuters window frames pulverised by the blast, with shards of glass strewn among boxes of thread and clothes on the floor. Several shops away, another store owner had a minor head wound from the blast, which happened while he was eating lunch. Set up in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park, the Shandong Youdao Chemical plant develops and makes chemicals used in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, the company said on its website, with more than 300 employees at the site. Blasts in recent years at chemical plants in China have included one in the northwest region of Ningxia in 2024 and another in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023. In 2015, two massive explosions at warehouses of hazardous and flammable chemicals in the port city of Tianjin that killed more than 170 people and injured 700 prompted tougher laws on storage of chemicals. Another blast that year at a Shandong chemical plant killed 13.
Dubai Eye
5 days ago
- Dubai Eye
At least 5 dead, 6 missing after China chemical plant blast
An explosion at a chemical plant in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong killed at least five people, with 19 injured and six missing, the state-run Xinhua agency said late on Tuesday. The blast occurred a few minutes before noon on Tuesday, shaking part of a chemical plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Weifang. More than 200 emergency workers responded to the blast, according to a statement issued by China's emergency response authority on Tuesday afternoon. 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. 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 on Tuesday. 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 port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed over 170 people and injured 700. That incident prompted the government to tighten laws covering chemical storage. An explosion in 2015 at another chemical plant in Shandong killed 13 people.
