Massive Explosion At Chinese Chemical Plant Kills At Least Five, Injures Dozens

At least five people are dead and 19 more are injured after an explosion at a chemical plant rocked the eastern Shandong province in China on Tuesday.

The explosion, which broke windows as far as two miles away and sent massive plumes of smoke hundreds of feet into the air, occurred at the Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. in the city of Weifang, the Associated Press reported. The chemical plant manufactures pesticides, along with chemicals used in the medical industry.

An additional six people have been reported missing after the explosion. The plant employs over 500 people, according to the AP. It is the world’s largest producer of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used to control pests in crops and homes, according to the South China Morning Post. In the first eight months of 2024, the Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. reportedly identified and rectified over 800 safety hazards.

Over 230 fire personnel were dispatched to the scene of the explosion, and no cause has been given yet. A student at a nearby school told China Central Television that after he heard the explosion, he saw dirt-yellow smoke with some redness in it, adding that there was a funny smell. The students were reportedly given masks and told to leave them on their faces. Officials have yet to determine the environmental effects of the explosion.

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China is the world leader in chemical production, an industry where the communist country has witnessed multiple deadly explosions and fires in recent years. The massive blast in Weifang on Tuesday comes six years after an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng, China, killed 78 people. In 2015, over 170 people died or went missing after a fire broke out at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals in Tianjin.