On the afternoon of June 13, a major explosion occurred at a chemical plant in Yanggu District, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, engulfing the entire factory area in thick smoke and causing a power outage for several miles around.
Footage captured by local residents was extremely shocking, showing a huge fireball rising into the sky accompanied by multiple loud bangs. In the video, the sound of car horns sounding alarms and the cries of frightened citizens can be heard, with many people gathering nearby to watch.
Local shop owners told the media that they heard the explosion when it happened, prompting nearby shops to close their doors and areas around the explosion site experienced a brief power outage. Residents in the vicinity mentioned that the air was filled with a lingering smell of chemicals, causing households to shut windows and draw curtains.
The emergency management bureau of Yanggu County issued a notice stating that at 5:38 pm on June 13, a fire broke out at the paraffin yard of Huatai Chemical Company in Yanggu, resulting in 3 injuries. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation.
Public records show that Huatai in Yanggu, established in 1994, is a leading enterprise in the Chinese rubber additives industry and the first listed company in Yanggu County, Liaocheng. Due to the consistent cover-up of casualty data by the Chinese Communist Party, the actual number of casualties is likely higher.
In recent times, mainland China has witnessed several accidents.
On the afternoon of June 3, an explosion occurred at a chemical plant in Xinggu Town, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, with official reports mentioning 2 people sustaining burns.
On the evening of April 5, an explosion and fire broke out at a factory near Liu Family Village in Niuchuan Town, Laiwu District, Jinan, Shandong, shattering windows and causing damage to nearby residents’ homes. After the incident, roads in the area were sealed off.
On March 19, there was an explosion at the nitration workshop of Liyuan Technology Co., Ltd. in Inner Mongolia, with at least 2 people missing and 3 injured.