BEIJING, May 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - An explosion at a chemical plant in eastern
China on Tuesday killed at least five people, with six more still missing,
state media said.

The blast occurred at the Youdao Chemical plant at around 12 pm (0400 GMT) in
Gaomi, a town in Shandong province around 450 kilometres (280 miles)
southeast of the capital Beijing, according to Xinhua news agency.

Videos broadcast by the Beijing newspaper Xinjingbao showed a gigantic column
of grey smoke rising into the sky, a fire in an industrial zone and shop
windows apparently blown out by the explosion.

The disaster "left five people dead, six missing and 19 lightly injured",
Xinhua said citing local officials.

Clips also showed debris strewn across a road, a car with a smashed
windscreen, and dark orange flames devouring installations in the background.

Emergency services dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 first responders to the
scene, the national Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement.

Youdao Chemical manufactures "low-toxicity" pesticides and employs around 300
people on a site of 47 hectares (116 acres), according to the Chinese online
media The Paper.

Industrial accidents occur regularly in China, where safety standards in its
countless factories are sometimes not respected.

In 2015, explosions at warehouses containing flammable chemicals in the port
city of Tianjin killed over 170 people and injured 700 others.