Blast at Shandong explosives plant kills 13, 10 workers still missing

Source:Global Times Published: 2013-5-21 0:23:01

An explosion ripped through an explosives manufacturing plant in Zhangqiu, Shandong Province Monday morning. The blast, which destroyed a workshop, killed 13 and injured 19. Rescuers are still searching for 10 more missing employees. Photo: CFP
An explosion ripped through an explosives manufacturing plant in Zhangqiu, Shandong Province Monday morning. The blast, which destroyed a workshop, killed 13 and injured 19. Rescuers are still searching for 10 more missing employees. Photo: CFP


The death toll from a blast that ripped through an explosives manufacturing plant in East China's Shandong Province on Monday morning has climbed to 13, the local government said.

Ten people were still missing as of 8 pm Monday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The explosion, which occurred at 10:45 am inside a seismic charge workshop of a plant owned by Poly Explosives (Jinan) Company, in Caofan township, Zhangqiu, also injured 19 people.

Thirty-four workers were in the workshop at the time of the accident that caused the building to collapse, according to a statement released by the publicity department of the Zhangqiu government.

Eight other employees who were working nearby were also caught up in the blast. 

As of Monday afternoon, 32 workers had been pulled out of the rubble, including 13 who were deceased.

The 19 injured workers, including two who sustained serious injuries, are being treated in local hospitals.

The three-storied workshop is in ruins following the blast. The force of explosion broke the windows of a building around 300 meters away, Xinhua reported.

A senior official from Zhangqiu government media office told the Global Times that the search and rescue operation for the missing workers is ongoing and the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

A police officer from Zhangqiu told the Global Times that personnel from different departments have worked together on the rescue operation.

China Central Television reported Monday afternoon that dozens of firetrucks, ambulances, excavators and cranes were at the site, but because the explosion site is in a basin, the vehicles could not be deployed. Cutting machinery could not be used for fear of sparking a further explosion at the disaster scene.

Poly Explosives is a manufacturer of civil explosive materials. Covering an area of 66 hectares, the company's plant in Caofan township was a new manufacturing base with an annual output of at least 30,000 tons of explosives, according to information on the company's official website.

Global Times - Xinhua


Posted in: Society, Contact us

blog comments powered by Disqus