Explosion at pesticide firm in northwest China leaves at least 8 hurt and 6 missing, cause still unknown
- More than 400 fire and rescue personnel and 47 rescue vehicles were sent to the scene of the blast in the Lanzhou company’s sewage treatment workshop
- A gas pipe explosion in Shiyan last year prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to order cadres to be vigilant and prevent major safety hazards
At least eight people are injured and six remain missing after an explosion at a chemical industrial estate in northwest China on Thursday evening.
The blast happened at a pesticide firm in Lanzhou, Gansu province just before 7pm, according to state news agency Xinhua. More than 400 fire and rescue personnel and 47 rescue vehicles were sent to the scene. All of the injured are said to be in a stable condition.
It is not known what caused the blast – covering an area of about 600 sq metres (6,500 sq feet) – in the sewage treatment workshop of Binnong Technology in Qinchuan, Lanzhou New Area.
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Major explosions at China industrial sites
Yin Hong, secretary of the provincial party committee, went to the accident site and called for all-out efforts to search for the missing, according to a statement from the Lanzhou government.
Binnong Technology produces pesticide intermediates and pesticide products and had been carrying out trial production, according to the Lanzhou government website.
