An explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China killed one person and injured nine, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday, 10 days after a similar disaster at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin, China, killed 121 people.
The explosion happened just before 9pm on Saturday in the city of Zibo in Shandong Province, Xinhua said, adding that firefighters put out the resulting fire just before 2am yesterday and that the case was under investigation.
The report gave no details regarding the identity of the person killed.
Environmental authorities detected no contamination from the blast, according to Xinhua.
The facility owned by Shandong Runxing Chemical Technology Co produced adiponitrile, which can produce toxic fumes when burned, according to Xinhua. Adiponitrile is used in making nylon and other products.
The blast follows the Aug. 12 chemical warehouse explosion in Tianjin. At least 121 people were killed in that disaster and 54 remain missing.
The cause of the Tianjin disaster is still under investigation, although state media said the warehouse — which was storing sodium cyanide and other toxic chemicals — was located too close to residential areas and might have obtained falsified safety approvals.
The disaster raised concerns about the effectiveness of China’s regulatory bodies and their ability to oversee industries in which they or officials might have vested interests.
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