SCMP reported that the fire and explosion were confirmed to have occurred just before noon on May 27 at the Shandong Youdao Chemical plant, which specializes in the production of pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
As of the afternoon of the same day, China's central television (CCTV) said that rescue work was still ongoing, but there was no official information about the casualties.
Witness at the scene described a hearthless explosion that shook the ground. A resident shared with ThePaper.cn: "I was in the house when I heard a very loud explosion. The glass door broke and furniture was thrown away. The whole neighborhood is full of broken glass and fallen electrical appliances.
Images circulating on Chinese social network Weibo show fierce fire engulfing the factory area, with a column of black smoke rising high and seen from thousands of kilometers away.
According to information from the local fire prevention and fighting agency, 232 rescue workers and 55 specialized vehicles were dispatched to the scene. China's Emergency Management Ministry has also sent rapid response teams and national-level professional firefighters to assist.
The cause of the explosion is currently unknown, and authorities are investigating whether there were any violations of labor safety.
Shandong Youdao Chemical factory was established in 2019, has more than 300 workers and is known as the world's largest producer of the active ingredient chlorpyrifos - a popular pesticide, with an output of about 11,000 tons/year.
According to the public records, this enterprise also produces many other chemicals for the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. With a large production scale and containing many toxic chemicals, the factory is on the list of facilities with high risks to industrial safety in the locality.
This is not the first time China has recorded serious chemical plant explosions. In 2015, an explosion in Tianjin killed more than 170 people and caused a national shocking event, leading to tightening control of chemical industrial parks.
