BEIJING — Search and rescue operations continued Wednesday morning in eastern China, where six people remain unaccounted for following a powerful explosion at a chemical plant that killed at least five and injured 19 others.
The blast occurred Tuesday at an industrial park in Weifang, Shandong province, sending shockwaves through nearby buildings, shattering windows, and releasing a thick plume of white smoke, as seen in footage circulated on social media.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the explosion, which took place at a facility operated by Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. The company, which manufactures pesticides and medical-use chemicals, employs more than 500 people, according to business registration records.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that more than 230 emergency responders were dispatched to the scene by local fire departments.
A student from a nearby school, located less than a mile from the blast site, told the state-run news outlet The Paper that he heard the explosion and saw a cloud of dirt-yellow and reddish smoke rising from the plant. He said students were quickly given masks and instructed to keep them on due to a strange odor in the air.
A representative from the local environmental bureau told The Paper that a team had been sent to assess potential pollution, though no official findings had been released as of yet. The incident occurred just days after China’s Ministry of Emergency Management hosted a national workshop focused on chemical industry safety, urging industrial parks to strengthen oversight of hazardous materials.
Despite being flagged for safety issues at least twice in the past year, the Gaomi Youdao facility was commended in September by the Weifang Emergency Management Bureau. The bureau highlighted the role of Communist Party members in identifying and resolving over 800 safety hazards in the first eight months of 2024.
While workplace safety has seen some improvements in China, it remains a serious concern. In 2024 alone, the Ministry of Emergency Management documented 21,800 workplace incidents resulting in 19,600 deaths.
China has a troubling history with chemical plant disasters. In 2015, a massive blast at a hazardous materials warehouse in Tianjin killed or left missing 173 people. Four years later, in 2019, an explosion at a chemical facility in Jiangsu province claimed 78 lives.
