Beijing (AP) – A huge explosion shook a chemical plant in the Chinese Shandong province around noon on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring 19, according to the CCTV state diffuser. Six additional people remain missing.
The explosion was powerful enough to eliminate the windows in a storage warehouse at more than two miles (three kilometers) from the factory, according to a video shared by a local resident, which refused to give its concern for reprisals.
His house trembled with the explosion, he said. While he went to the window to see what was wrong, he saw a large column of smoke from the site, more than seven kilometers (4.3 miles).
The explosion occurred at Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co., which is located in an industrial park in the city of Weifang. It manufactures pesticides as well as chemicals for medical purposes and has more than 500 employees, according to business recording files.
Local fire managers sent more than 230 staff members to the scene, according to CCTV.
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Video producer AP Olivia Zhang and researcher AP Shihuan Chen contributed to this report.
