Huge Explosion, Fire at Chemical Facility in Eastern China

Local Editor

A powerful blast struck a chemical storage in eastern China's Jingjiang province, causing a massive ongoing blaze. A plume of black smoke was rising from the storage reservoir engulfed in flames. The factory stores chemicals and petrol.

China's media outlet 163.com said there are a total of 42 reservoirs at the oil processing facility where the explosion occurred.

There had been no immediate reports about any injured or dead in the incident so far. According to photos published on social networks, a huge column of dense smoke was rising hundreds of meters into the sky.

A large number of firefighting teams were said to be at the site of the explosion and fire.

Witnesses report a pungent smell spreading in the area around the burning chemical storage.

It had been reported that fire has seized hold of two reservoirs containing petrol and that a couple of liquid storage tanks had already burned out completely.

Constant monitoring of environmental pollution is being maintained in the emergency area.

A major blast at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals in Tianjin, northeast China, occurred in August. More than 170 people had been killed and nearly 800 injured in a series of explosions. Staggeringly high cyanide levels were registered in the area following the incident.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team