Explosion hits chemical warehouse in east China, no casualties
-
his image captured by CCTV cameras shows a thick plume of black smoke rising into the sky from an explosion in a chemical warehouse in the Chinese town of Jingjiang, April 22, 2016.
A massive explosion has occurred at a facility storing chemicals and fuel in eastern China, though no casualties have been reported.
According to the local media reports, the explosion happened at a facility in the town of Jingjiang in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province on Friday. The chemicals and fuel, which had reportedly been improperly stored, had caught fire before the blast took place.
The blast recalled huge explosions caused by improper storage of chemicals in the northern city of Tianjin last August, which killed at least 165 people and raised fears of toxic contamination.
The local government said that the fire was “under control,” and that there were no deaths or injuries. It said an operation involving some 400 firefighters was underway to put out the fire.
Witnesses said that a thick plume of fire and black smoke was rising into the sky and “many fire appliances were dispatched in an attempt to put out the fire.”
The city government said the facility is owned by a company called Jiangsu Deqiao Storage, which is authorized to store chemicals and fuel.
Such industrial accidents are not strange in China, where safety standards are often lax. A massive explosion hit a chemical warehouse in the country’s northeastern port city of Tianjin last year.
SS
