Residents pick up the pieces, fear toxic fallout a day after deadly China chemical blast
Residents near a blown out chemical plant in China's eastern Shandong province on Wednesday assessed the damage to their village and monitored the wind, fearful of toxic fallout from an explosion that killed at least five people a day earlier.
Black and grey smoke was still rising from the smoldering facility, as emergency services continued to tend to the site. Local officials have not yet released the results of air quality tests.
The blast happened just before noon on Tuesday at a plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Gaomi, sending plumes of orange and black smoke into the sky and littering the roadside with debris for more than a kilometre.
Nineteen people were injured and six more remain missing, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Yu Qianming, a 69-year-old farmer, showed Reuters roofing that had fallen in and windows that had shattered, but said nobody in his home had suffered any injuries.
Yu said he and his wife felt safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow north, but added they had moved their grandchild elsewhere as a precaution.
Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park, according to the company's website.
The plant develops and produces chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, employing more than 300 people on a site of more than 47 hectares
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
21 hours ago
- CBC
At least 1 dead, 3 injured in Banff rock slide, RCMP says
The RCMP says a rock slide in Alberta's Banff National Park has killed at least one person and injured three others.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Coast Guard hovercraft grounded
Coast Guard hovercraft grounded A pair of highly specialized vessels that serve public safety on the West Coast have been grounded by a lack of staff.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
No one injured in Saskatoon apartment fire
Nobody was injured during a structure fire at a building in Saskatoon early Wednesday evening. Firefighters say crews arrived at the scene in the 1100 block of McKercher Drive around 7 p.m. to find smoke and flames coming from a balcony. They say all occupants of the building were safely evacuated, and crews were able to put out the blaze from the outside. Large fans have been used to remove any lingering smoke and toxins from the suite, and a fire investigator is on scene to examine what happened. (The Canadian Press)
