Latest news with #Weifang
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment chemical plant tank bursts into flames around worker
An explosion at a Chinese chemical plant has killed at least five people. Horrifying footage shows the gas tank going up in flames - as one worker runs for his life, trying to escape the smoke erupting from where he was standing seconds before. In a second video, a tank is seen rocketing into the air before crashing into a fireball. Over 230 firefighters rushed to the blaze in the Shandong province in China on Tuesday, where 19 were injured and six are still missing, state media said. Residents in the nearest city, Weifang, were warned they should wear face masks as officials await results of the air quality after the blast spewed out chemicals. The plant was reportedly used to manufacture pesticides and chemicals for medical use, with over 300 registered employees. The cause of the explosion remains unknown. Seconds from disaster: The man dashes across the gangway to the next tank mere moments before it goes up in flames Deaths: The explosion at the chemical plant in the Shandong province in China has killed at least five people Local farmer Yu Qianming, 69, had moved his grandchild and his wife further away as a precaution but said they would feel safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow in a northerly direction. Liu Meng said her window frame was forced out of the wall after the blast took place only 500m away from her clothing store. The 60-year-old, who also lives in the same building, said glass had been flung into her boxes of supplies and across her store. Another resident said his property 4.3 miles away shook. Drone footage showed smoke coming from another plant nearby. The plant is being tested by the Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau but said no results were available yet. Blast: Liu Ming's window frames were blasted out of place
Reuters
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Big BYD dealer in eastern China goes out of business, local media reports
SHANGHAI, May 29 (Reuters) - A large dealer of Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD's ( opens new tab, cars in the eastern province of Shandong has gone out of business with at least 20 of its stores found to be deserted or shut, government-owned media reported. The Jinan Times, which is owned by the government of the provincial capital of Jinan, reported on Wednesday that Qiancheng Holdings, which ran BYD stores, had fallen into difficulties, affecting more than 1,000 consumers who were still owed warranty coverage and after-sales services. The affected stores are spread across four cities, including Jinan and Weifang, the newspaper said, citing visits it had made. Car owners were organising rights protection groups to seek solutions, it added. The newspaper said Qiancheng, which once had an annual turnover of 3 billion yuan ($416.71 million) and employed 1,200 people, published a letter on April 17 blaming adjustments BYD had made to its dealer policy for putting its cash flow under tremendous pressure. Qiancheng did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Thursday. Asked for comment, BYD referred Reuters to a Wednesday article by Chinese media outlet Cover News that cited an unnamed BYD public relations representative as saying that it was Qiancheng's rapid expansion, rather than its policy adjustments, that had led to its crisis. The representative added that BYD was providing support to Qiancheng. Qiancheng's situation highlights the growing stress facing China's auto market, the world's largest, as intensifying competition puts pressure on suppliers, automakers and dealers. Car dealerships have been particularly vulnerable to a shift in the industry towards direct selling and a slowdown in consumer spending. BYD has a small number of its own stores in China, but mostly uses dealers in that market. ($1 = 7.1993 Chinese yuan renminbi)
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
A search continues for 6 people missing after a chemical plant explosion in China
Firefighters extinguish fires at the explosion site of a chemical plant in Gaomi, in east China's Shandong Province, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Xinhua via AP) BEIJING — Rescuers searched Wednesday for six people still missing after an explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China shook nearby buildings, killing at least five people and injuring 19. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast at an industrial park in the Shandong province city of Weifang. The explosion knocked out windows of nearby buildings and spewed a thick plume of white smoke, according to videos shared on social media. Nearby residents on Wednesday were grappling with how or whether to rebuild damaged homes, while provincial authorities vowed to eliminate any further risks to ensure safety in manufacturing. Zhang Liyou, who runs a restaurant about 1 kilometer away (less than a mile away) from the explosion site, was serving lunch when the blast occurred, shattering the restaurant's windows and causing part of its ceiling paneling to collapse. Fortunately, neither him nor the handful of diners were harmed, he told The Associated Press, but the restaurant building, which also doubled as his home was covered with debris. He said he didn't know if he would reopen. 'There is no way for us to do the business anymore,' he said with a sigh. The plant was separated from a nearby village by just a wheat field less than 700 meters (about a half mile) across. Residents told a state-backed media outlet, the Paper, that the blast had warped shutter doors, cracked walls and dislodged pieces of concrete from their roofs, and that they were worried about the structural integrity of their homes. The plant is owned by Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co., a producer of pesticides and chemicals for medical use with more than 500 employees, according to corporate registration records. Local fire officials sent more than 230 personnel to the scene, according to state broadcaster CCTV. A student at a school about a kilometer away (less than a mile away) from the plant told the Paper that he heard an explosion and saw dirt-yellow smoke, tainted with redness, rising from the plant. He said there was a funny smell, and all students were given masks and told not to remove them. It was unclear if there were any lingering health impacts after the initial explosion. A staffer at the local environment bureau told The Paper that a team was dispatched to the scene to monitor potential pollution but had yet to report back. The blast came less than two weeks after the National Ministry of Emergency Management held a workshop on preventing and controlling risks in the chemical industry, as Beijing urged officials at chemical industrial parks to boost their capabilities in 'managing hazardous chemicals.' Last year, the chemical plant was cited for 'safety risks' at least twice, but in September it was praised by the Weifang Emergency Management Bureau for relying on party members to effectively manage workplace risks. Specifically, party members at Gaomi Youdao identified more than 800 safety hazards in the first eight months of 2024 and rectified all of them, the bureau said. Workplace safety has improved over the years in China but remains a stubborn problem. The National Ministry of Emergency Management recorded 21,800 incidents and 19,600 deaths in 2024. A warehouse complex storing large amounts of hazardous chemicals caught fire and exploded in Tianjin in 2015, leaving 173 dead or missing. In 2019, 78 people were killed in a blast at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern coastal province of Jiangsu. ___ Associated Press journalist Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, and news researcher Shihuan Chen in Beijing contributed to this report. The Associated Press
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Search continues at site of deadly chemical plant blast in China
Six people are still missing after an explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China that killed at least five and injured 19 others. The blast took place on Tuesday in an industrial park in the city of Weifang, in Shandong province, shattering windows at nearby buildings and spewing a thick plume of white smoke, according to videos shared on social media. Advertisement It is not clear what caused the explosion at a plant owned by Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co, a producer of pesticides and chemicals for medical use. Records show the factory has more than 500 employees. Local fire officials sent more than 230 personnel to the scene, according to state broadcaster CCTV. A pupil at a school just under a mile away from the plant told state-run news site The Paper that he heard an explosion and saw dirt-yellow smoke, tainted with redness, rising from the plant. He said there was an unusual smell, and all students were given masks and told not to remove them. Advertisement A worker at the local environment bureau told The Paper that a team was dispatched to the scene to monitor potential pollution, but had yet to report back. The blast came less than two weeks after the National Ministry of Emergency Management held a workshop on preventing and controlling risks in the chemical industry, as Beijing urged officials at chemical industrial parks to boost their capabilities in 'managing hazardous chemicals'. Last year, the chemical plant was cited over safety risks at least twice, but in September it was praised by the Weifang Emergency Management Bureau for relying on party members to effectively manage workplace risks. Specifically, party members at Gaomi Youdao identified more than 800 safety hazards in the first eight months of 2024 and rectified all of them, the bureau said. Advertisement Workplace safety has improved over the years in China but remains a stubborn problem. The National Ministry of Emergency Management recorded 21,800 incidents and 19,600 deaths in 2024. A warehouse complex storing large amounts of hazardous chemicals caught fire and exploded in Tianjin in 2015, leaving 173 dead or missing. In 2019, 78 people were killed in a blast at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern coastal province of Jiangsu.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment worker runs for his life as chemical tanks burst into flames around him in deadly explosion at Chinese plant
A chemical plant has been rocked by a massive explosion, killing at least five people. Horrifying footage shows the gas tank going up in flames - as one worker runs for his life across the gangway to the next tank trying to escape the black smoke erupting where he was standing moments before. In another video, a tank is seen rocketing into the air before crashing into a fireball. More than 230 firefighters rushed to the dystopian blaze in the Shandong province in China yesterday where 19 were injured and six are still missing, according to state broadcaster China Central Television. Residents in the nearest city, Weifang, have been warned they should wear face masks as officials wait for the results of the air quality after the explosion spewed out chemicals. The plant was reportedly used to manufacture pesticides and chemicals for medical use with more than 300 registered employees. The cause of the explosion remains unexplained and clouds of black smoke were seen hanging over the plant. Drone footage shared by The Beijing News - a government-run outlet - has shown multi-storey buildings at the Gaomi Youdao Chemical plant flattened by the blast, with locals saying their windows were shattered more than a kilometre away. The man dashes across the gangway to the next tank mere moments before it goes up in flames Farmer Yu Qianming, 69, had moved his grandchild and his wife further away as a precaution but said they would feel safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow in a northerly direction. Liu Meng said her window frame was forced out of the wall after the blast took place only 500m away from her clothing store. The 60-year-old, who also lives in the same building, said glass had been flung into her boxes of supplies and across her store. Another resident said his property seven kilometres away shook. The drone footage also shows smoke coming from another plant nearby. A Chinese navigation app, Baidu Maps, showed other manufacturing companies in the area, including a machinery company, a textile company and a business making undustrial coating materials. The plant is being tested by the Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau but said earlier today that no results were available yet. Cars have been seen patrolling the perimeter of the 47-hectare plant Safety laws have been tightened in recent years by the Chinese government after a devastating explosion in 2015 killed more than 170 people and injured 700. Two blasts rocked a hazardous and flammable chemicals warehouse in the port city of Tianjin. Despite efforts, huge fires have still raged businesses in recent years. In 2019, a chemical factory explosion killed 78 people, with 53 people jailed over the disaster. Executives of the chemical firm and officials of local authorities were convicted of various charges, including bribery and negligence with sentences ranging from 18 months to 20 years in prison. The court in Jiangsu's Yancheng city found that the company knowingly produced and stored hazardous chemicals and waste material despite 'storage venues that did not meet safety requirements'. The explosion, sparked by a fire in Tianjiayi's fertiliser factory, flattened the surrounding industrial park, blew out windows and dented metal garage doors of buildings as far as four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the site. Other social media pictures show local residents with blood on their faces and factory workers leaving the site with plumes of black smoke in the background after the accident A year later, an explosion at an industrial plant near the city of Wuhan in central China killed at least five people and wounded one. The blast took place when the manufacturer's equipment was being tested, only months after it was caught illegally dumping wastewater, according to Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper. Footage filmed by witnesses shows thick yellow smoke billowing into the sky as a person was lying on a stretcher while being carried out from a wrecked building. The yellow smoke released from the plant could have indicated a nitric acid leak, a local resident told The Beijing News. A chemical plant in the northwest region of Ningxia set alight in 2024 as well as another plant in in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023. These string of disasters has prompted calls from President Xi Jinping for a 'deep reflection' and improve safety efforts.
