An explosion tore through a pesticide- and pharmaceutical-chemical facility in eastern China on Tuesday morning, killing at least five workers and injuring 19 others, state media reported. Six people remain unaccounted for, as per Al Jazeera.
The blast occurred at a plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical Co. in Weifang’s Gaomi Renhe industrial park. Video footage posted on Chinese social media and verified by Reuters showed towering plumes of orange and black smoke, while shockwaves shattered windows in nearby buildings.
More than 230 firefighters and emergency responders were dispatched to battle the ensuing blaze, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Aerial footage published by the government-run Beijing News appeared to show smoke rising not only from the Youdao site but also from a second, unidentified facility in the complex.
Local environmental officials said air-quality tests were under way but urged residents to wear face masks until results are confirmed. One Weifang resident more than seven kilometres away told the Associated Press that the explosion rattled his home.
Shandong Youdao, founded in 2019, employs over 300 staff on its 47-hectare site. The company has not yet issued a public statement.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management ordered crews to contain the fire quickly and determine the exact number of casualties. The cause of the explosion has not been disclosed.
The incident adds to a string of deadly industrial accidents in China’s chemical sector, including blasts in Ningxia in 2024 and Jiangxi in 2023. The 2015 Tianjin warehouse explosion, which claimed more than 170 lives, prompted Beijing to tighten hazardous-material regulations, yet serious accidents persist.
