A tragic explosion occurred at Baogang Plate Factory in Inner Mongolia, as of the morning of January 19th, resulting in 2 fatalities, 8 missing individuals, and 84 injuries, with 5 in critical condition.
On the morning of January 19th, Baogang Group issued a statement, announcing that on January 18th at 15:03, an explosion took place in a 650m³ saturated water and steam tank at the steel refining operation department of a subsidiary rare-earth plate and steel plate factory. The incident has claimed the lives of 2 individuals, left 8 missing, and 84 injured and receiving treatment in hospitals.
Baogang Group stated that the accident caused damage to some workshops and equipment in the plate factory, and the specific extent of the losses is currently being verified and assessed.
Furthermore, according to a press conference held on the morning of January 19th in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, among the 84 injured individuals, “5 are in critical condition, while the other 79 individuals have minor injuries such as head and facial trauma and soft tissue contusions.” The search and rescue efforts are still ongoing.
The briefing mentioned that production at the accident site has been halted; the city’s electricity, water supply, gas supply, telecommunications, and residential heating are “normal”; according to the monitoring by the ecological and environmental departments, “no impact on the surrounding atmosphere, soil, and other environments from this incident has been found so far”; and the relevant corporate personnel have been taken measures against.
The official briefing has sparked skepticism among netizens. Many netizens have expressed doubts, saying, “A mushroom cloud was produced from the explosion, and you claim it has no impact?”, “Even burning coal in households affects the atmosphere, and yet you say it has no impact on the atmosphere, could it be caused by hydrogen explosions?”, “To say there is no impact is just deceiving, it’s only a matter of the degree of impact.”
Previously reported:
Explosion at subsidiary of Baogang in Inner Mongolia leaves at least 2 dead, 78 hospitalized.