Camilla Jessen
A violent blast at a Shandong chemical plant sent plumes of smoke into the sky.
A powerful explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Tuesday, sending massive clouds of orange and gray smoke into the air and damaging buildings kilometers away.
Local authorities in Gaomi city, Shandong province, have launched a large-scale rescue and emergency response, as reported by Chinese state media.
The blast occurred shortly before noon local time at the Shandong Youdao Chemical facility, a plant that develops and produces chemicals used in pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial intermediates, according to the company’s website.
State broadcaster CCTV reported the explosion took place inside the plant’s workshop, but no cause has yet been confirmed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no casualties have been officially reported.
Witnesses Describe the Shock
Footage circulating on Chinese social media platforms showed thick plumes of smoke rising above the industrial park, casting an ominous haze over the city.
Some buildings near the site had windows blown out by the force of the blast.
A hotel worker located 3.5 kilometers from the site told CNN she heard a loud bang around noon.
“The sound was quite loud… It only lasted for a moment,” she said, adding that while her hotel was undamaged, the force of the blast was startling.
Further away, about 6 kilometers from the plant, a factory employee surnamed Meng said she felt the shockwave through her building.
“A strong gust of airflow scared me so much that I didn’t dare leave my office,” she said. “The doors and windows in my factory were damaged… If I had been a bit closer, it might have thrown me against the wall.”
Emergency Response Mobilized
The local fire and rescue department quickly dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 personnel to the site.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management also sent a working group and backup teams to support on-the-ground operations, the ministry confirmed in a statement.
As of now, the full extent of the damage and any potential chemical contamination remains unclear.
The plant, part of Himile Group, was founded in 2019 and spans more than 46 hectares inside Gaomi Renhe Chemical Park. It reportedly employs over 300 people.
Shares in Himile Mechanical, a related company under the same parent group, dropped nearly 4% on the stock market Tuesday following news of the explosion, Reuters reported.
The incident has reignited concerns about industrial safety standards in China, especially in the chemical sector.
It draws comparisons to the 2015 Tianjin warehouse explosion, one of the country’s worst industrial disasters, which killed more than 100 people and left a long-lasting environmental impact.