One more warehouse blast rocks China

The blast left 1 dead and at least 9 injured

Image Source:BBC

Beijing:  In the late hours of Saturday night, at around 21:00 local time, a chemical warehouse exploded in the eastern parts of the Shandong province in China, making it the second such deadly blast in the past 10 days that China has suffered. Locals said that huge flames of fire rose high. One person, not identified so far, was left dead, while at least nine other people were wounded.

A chemical plant that held hazardous chemicals exploded in the city of Zibo, leading to a long-lasting fires as fumes spread around the blast site. Nearly 150 firefighters and 20 fire engines battled the blaze for several hours until it was finally extinguished. Moreover, the plant was set up only about a kilometer away from residential areas, yet again questioning industrial safety policies in China. However, no contamination has been discovered in the area.

The Runxing chemical factory, which was destroyed in the explosion, held at that moment a colourless liquid called adiponitrile, that releases poisonous gases when burned. The impact of the blast could be felt in a 2km radius around the epicenter, according to witnesses. Glasses shattered and the tall flames could be seen even from a distance.

Similar to the Tinjian blasts that occurred last week, the propinquity of the dangerous plants to residential areas in China has tainted the blast with political perceptions, as anger over this controversy has for long grown amongst the Chinese. In the recent past, investigations have brought to light safety failures at 85 sites out of the 124 tested, even as two of them were shut down immediately. Although officially the distance between industrial areas and public areas is required to be a minimum of 1km, the recent blasts have proven that it is perilous and unhealthy.

As inspections and security measures continue, the series of blasts in this month threaten to eclipse China’s celebrations of its 70th anniversary of its win against Japan in World War Two.

Source: CNN

Contributor: Khushi Desai

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