Explosions at a chemical plant in Jilin City in northeastern China on the afternoon of 13 November injured more than 70 people and forced evacuation of tens of thousands.
The blasts occurred at the No.101 Chemical Plant, which produces benzene, a highly toxic substance. A spokesperson of the Jilin Petroleum and Chemical Company, which runs the plant, said the fire has been put out and one body was found and five people were still missing, according a report of Mingpao on 14 November. But a Xinhua report on 14 November said the fire caused by the blasts has been under control but is yet to be put out completely.
"Improper treatment to the jam problem of the P-102 tower at the workshop in the benzene plant caused the explosions and fire," Zou Haifeng, deputy general manager of the company, said on the evening of 13 November. "All the pipelines and wires connected to the tower have been cut off and further hidden trouble has been ruled out," he told reporters at an overnight news conference.
Those evacuated were from two residential districts and students studying at Beihua University and Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology.
As of 14 November, more than 20 out of some 70 injured people are still in hospital for further observation and two seriously injured people are now safe after emergent operation, Xinhua reported.
State television showed news footage of the explosions, which shook local residents' houses and shattered window glasses and caused mushroom clouds of thick and black fumes into the sky.
Benzene – a clear, colourless and highly refractive flammable liquid – is poisonous, but it will be decomposed into water and carbon dioxide after burning and explosion, according to Zhang Fenglin, vice president of the company-affiliated hospital.
Sources: Mingpao (14 November 2005), Associated Press (13 November 2005), South China Morning Post (14 November 2005), Xinhua News Agency (14 November 2005)
The blasts occurred at the No.101 Chemical Plant, which produces benzene, a highly toxic substance. A spokesperson of the Jilin Petroleum and Chemical Company, which runs the plant, said the fire has been put out and one body was found and five people were still missing, according a report of Mingpao on 14 November. But a Xinhua report on 14 November said the fire caused by the blasts has been under control but is yet to be put out completely.
"Improper treatment to the jam problem of the P-102 tower at the workshop in the benzene plant caused the explosions and fire," Zou Haifeng, deputy general manager of the company, said on the evening of 13 November. "All the pipelines and wires connected to the tower have been cut off and further hidden trouble has been ruled out," he told reporters at an overnight news conference.
Those evacuated were from two residential districts and students studying at Beihua University and Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology.
As of 14 November, more than 20 out of some 70 injured people are still in hospital for further observation and two seriously injured people are now safe after emergent operation, Xinhua reported.
State television showed news footage of the explosions, which shook local residents' houses and shattered window glasses and caused mushroom clouds of thick and black fumes into the sky.
Benzene – a clear, colourless and highly refractive flammable liquid – is poisonous, but it will be decomposed into water and carbon dioxide after burning and explosion, according to Zhang Fenglin, vice president of the company-affiliated hospital.
Sources: Mingpao (14 November 2005), Associated Press (13 November 2005), South China Morning Post (14 November 2005), Xinhua News Agency (14 November 2005)