BEIJING – At least 47 people were killed and more than 600 got injured in a chemical plant blast in Jiangsu province.
The horrific blast occurred on Thursday afternoon at the industrial park in Yancheng, leaving at least 90 seriously injured. Earlier, city officials had said that at least 12 people were killed and 30 injured in the explosion.
The explosion was so powerful that it apparently triggered a small earthquake, knocked down several factory buildings and shattered the windows of homes a few kilometres away.
Hundreds of rescuers have been dispatched to the scene and more than 3,000 people have been evacuated from the blast site.
The officials informed that the fire fighters have extinguished the blaze from the explosion after battled raging flames through the night. Three chemical tanks and five other areas had been on fire.
After the incident, the police took an unspecified number of people into custody. The chemical facility involved in the explosion belonged to Tianjiayi Chemical, a firm with 195 employees established in 2007.
According to local officials, the Jiangsu-based company mainly produced raw chemical materials, including anisole, a highly flammable compound.
