On April 30, a distillation kettle explosion occurred at the Luoyang Medicon Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Luoyang, Henan Province, China, resulting in one death and three injuries according to official reports. However, the announcement raised doubts among netizens.
According to the emergency management bureau of Wuyang County, Henan, the explosion took place at 13:35 on the same day at the Luoyang Medicon Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in the Economic Development Zone of Wuyang County. By 15:50, the fire was extinguished. The accident led to one fatality and three injuries, with investigations currently underway to determine the cause.
The explosion incident sparked discussion online. Many netizens commented, “In the afternoon, the smoke was particularly thick,” “My husband said it’s a pharmaceutical factory, they were nearby at the time,” “Three explosions in a row,” “Why are there so many accidents like this everywhere these days?” “Could the improper operation have led to the distillation kettle explosion?”
Some netizens also raised questions, “Did it really injure three people and result in one death? Why were so many people admitted to the hospital in Wuyang yesterday?” “Even a half-popped tire explosion can be lethal, is this distillation kettle really safe?” “The power of a distillation kettle explosion is several times greater than a hand grenade. I’ve seen the force of that explosion myself.” “The numbers don’t seem to add up.”
Others expressed concerns, “In these past few days, Luoyang has seen a series of accidents, like the shoemaking factory fire and the pharmaceutical factory explosion. Safety measures should be taken seriously.”
On the same day around 1 pm, another explosion incident occurred in the Fengjing Jiayuan community in the Xiaodian District of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, resulting in at least one death, 21 injuries, and two missing persons.
Prior to these incidents, a fatal fire broke out at a hotel in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, on Tuesday (April 29), causing at least 22 deaths and three injuries.