Latest news with #Gaomi
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- General
- 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.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Residents pick up the pieces, fear toxic fallout a day after deadly China chemical blast
Residents near a blown out chemical plant in China's eastern Shandong province on Wednesday assessed the damage to their village and monitored the wind, fearful of toxic fallout from an explosion that killed at least five people a day earlier. Black and grey smoke was still rising from the smoldering facility, as emergency services continued to tend to the site. Local officials have not yet released the results of air quality tests. The blast happened just before noon on Tuesday at a plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Gaomi, sending plumes of orange and black smoke into the sky and littering the roadside with debris for more than a kilometre. Nineteen people were injured and six more remain missing, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Yu Qianming, a 69-year-old farmer, showed Reuters roofing that had fallen in and windows that had shattered, but said nobody in his home had suffered any injuries. Yu said he and his wife felt safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow north, but added they had moved their grandchild elsewhere as a precaution. Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park, according to the company's website. The plant develops and produces chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, employing more than 300 people on a site of more than 47 hectares
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Deadly blast at China chemical plant leaves behind twisted wreckage
STORY: :: May 27, 2025 At least five people were killed when a chemical plant exploded in China's Shandong province on Tuesday. Reuters was able to verify this social media video of the damage after the blast. A day later, Reuters saw smoke was still rising from the wreckage of the facility - - though officials said the fire had been contained. According to state media, six people remain missing and 19 people were injured as of Wednesday morning The plant is owned by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Gaomi, not far from China's eastern coast. :: May 27, 2025 The blast happened around noon Tuesday. Hours later, China's emergency response authority said that more than 200 emergency workers responded to the incident. Fire engines were seen in drone videos aired by Chinese state TV. Local officials say they had conducted air quality checks, but had not released results by Wednesday afternoon. According to Shandong Youdao Chemical's website, the plant makes chemicals for pesticides and pharmaceuticals and employs more than 300 people. Tuesday's events are not the only explosion at Chinese chemical plants in recent years. Last year saw one in the northwest region of Ningxia and there was another in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Smoke still rising a day after deadly Chinese chemical plant blast
Black and grey smoke was still rising from the facility today, although there was no sign of a fire. (Anonymous/AP pic) GAOMI : Shattered glass from windows blown apart by an explosion at a chemical plant in China's eastern Shandong province littered the roadside for more than 1km today, a day after a blast that killed at least five people. The explosion happened just before noon yesterday at a facility operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Gaomi, sending plumes of orange and black smoke into the sky. Nineteen people were injured and six more remain missing, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Local officials have not yet released the results of unspecified tests carried out at the site. The streets leading up to the smouldering ruins were deserted, except for emergency teams, Reuters' witnesses reported. Black and grey smoke was still rising from the facility, although there was no sign of a fire that national-level authorities yesterday had urged emergency workers to quickly contain. Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park, according to the company's website. The plant develops and produces chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, employing more than 300 people on a site of more than 47 hectares. The company is a unit of Himile Group, which also owns listed Himile Mechanical, whose shares were down nearly 3.6% when the market closed yesterday.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
At least 5 killed after fire rips through chemical plant in China
At least five people were killed after a fire tore through a chemical plant in eastern China 's Shandong province, sending thick plumes of smoke soaring into the sky. Smoke was still rising from the smouldering facility as emergency services tended to the site amid reports that six people were missing since the incident. Fire engulfed the factory operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in Gaomi city, around 450km southeast of the national capital Beijing, soon after a blast rocked the area just before noon on Tuesday. The powerful blast reportedly sent debris flying more than a kilometre away. The city's fire department dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 personnel to tackle the blaze along with national fire and rescue teams deployed by the ministry of emergency management. The search and rescue operation and cleanup work continued into the night, the local emergency management bureau said. Authorities were yet to release the results of unspecified tests carried out at the site of the explosion. People living near the chemical plant were assessing damage to their village and monitoring the wind, fearful of toxic fallout from the blast. The villagers said their houses were "shaken" by the blast. Shortly after, the streets were covered with broken glass and appliances blown out of their homes, according to local reports. Yu Qianming, a 69-year-old farmer, showed Reuters roofing that had fallen in and windows that had shattered, but said nobody in his home had suffered any injuries. Mr Yu said he and his wife felt safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow north but added that they had moved their grandchild elsewhere as a precaution. Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park, according to the company's website. The factory, spread over 116 acres, develops and produces chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, employing more than 300 people. Fire incidents remain a recurring problem in China, with dozens of people killed in fire-related incidents last year. Industrial accidents occur frequently, usually related to a lack of safety measures and illegal construction and storage. In 2015, at least 170 people were killed and hundreds suffered injuries in explosions at warehouses containing flammable chemicals in the port city of Tianjin.
