An explosion shook a chemical plant in the Chinese eastern province of Zhejiang, state media said on Monday, though there were no immediate reports of casualties in a country on edge after blasts killed more than 160 people last month. The blast caused a fire and thick smoke to bellow from the plant in Lishui city shortly before midnight, state radio said on its official Weibo microblog. Firefighters were on the scene and there were no immediate reports of casualties. Chemical plant blasts are relatively common on the mainland. At least five people died in an explosion at one in Shandong province last week. On August 12, explosions at a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals devastated an industrial park in the port city of Tianjin, killing more than 160 people. The latest incident will likely raise more questions about safety standards on the mainland, where industrial accidents are all too common following three decades of fast economic growth. A blast at an auto-parts factory killed 75 people a year ago.
