China chemical plant explosion kills at least 5 with several others missing

At least five people have been killed after a massive explosion ripped through a chemical plant in with authorities searching for the missing.

The massive blast rocked Shandong province in at about 12pm on Tuesday with 19 injured and at least six missing. Pesticide manufacturers Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co in the city of Weifang had an estimated 500 employees, company records revealed. The powerful explosion shattered windows of buildings more than two miles away, a video shared by a resident revealed. Homes shook, the resident said according to the . It is not clear what caused the massive explosion.

A video showed . Residents could be seen standing in shock as the fire burned miles away.

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Fire officials sent some 230 personnel to the site of the blast, according to China Central Television. A student at a school some 1,000 yards away from the chemical plant saw dirty yellow smoke rising from the site.

The student also said there was a funny smell in the air and that children were given masks before being told not to remove them. The massive explosion happened about two weeks after China's National Ministry of Emergency Management held a workshop on how to prevent and control risks in the chemical industry.

A worker at a different factory about three miles away from the blast site said she heard a huge boom as well as a strong gust of wind. The worker, who only gave her name as Meng said: "A strong gust of airflow scared me so much that I didn't dare leave my office.

"The doors and windows in (my) factory were damaged...The airflow rushed in through the window, and if I had been a bit closer, it might have thrown me against the wall."

Beijing urged officials at chemical parks to enhance their protocols in "managing hazardous chemicals." The Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co was previously cited for "safety risks" at least twice in the past.

But it was also praised by the Weifang Emergency Management Bureau for relying on party members to effectively manage workplace risks. They praised its members for managing workplace risks.

The bureau said chemical plant staff identified more than 800 safety hazards in the first eight months of 2024 and had rectified them. While workplace safety has improved in China over recent decades, the National Ministry of Emergency Management recorded 21,800 incidents and 19,600 deaths in 2024.

In 2019, 78 people died in a massive blast at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern coastal province of Jiangsu.