At least five people were killed and 19 injured Tuesday after a powerful explosion ripped through a chemical plant in eastern China’s Shandong province, according to local emergency officials. Six others remain missing.
The blast occurred around noon at Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. in the city of Weifang. The company produces pesticides and chemicals for medical use and employs over 500 people, according to corporate filings.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the explosion.
The force of the blast shattered windows more than three kilometers away, a resident told local media. State broadcaster CCTV said over 230 emergency responders were deployed to the site.
A student at a nearby school, roughly 900 meters from the plant, reported hearing the explosion and seeing dirt-yellow smoke tinged with red. Students were instructed to wear masks due to a strong odor in the air.
Local environmental officials dispatched a team to monitor for possible contamination, though no results have been released yet.
The incident comes less than two weeks after Beijing urged tighter oversight of hazardous materials at chemical industrial parks. Gaomi Youdao had been cited twice for safety risks in 2024 but was later praised for addressing over 800 hazards that year, according to the city’s emergency management bureau.
Workplace safety remains a challenge in China. In 2024, the government recorded nearly 22,000 workplace incidents and over 19,000 deaths. Previous high-profile disasters include a 2015 blast in Tianjin that killed 173 and a 2019 explosion in Jiangsu that left 78 dead
Tajikistan and China have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on Artificial Intelligence, following high-level talks between President Emomali Rahmon and President Xi Jinping in Astana earlier this week.
China’s exports of rare earth magnets dropped sharply in May, plunging 52.9% from April to just 1,238 metric tons, their lowest monthly level since February 2020. The drop comes amid tightened export controls and growing customs scrutiny.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
Severe flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in southern China has forced the evacuation of about 70,000 people, local media reported on Wednesday.
President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the 'Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the People's Republic of China on International Multimodal Transportation.'
The US will host the official signing of a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the State Department announced Friday.
The EU Commission signed five major agreements with Africa, securing over €1.2 billion ($1.38 billion) in investments and guarantees, EU President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday that Türkiye is using all diplomatic means to establish stability not only in the Caucasus but throughout the region.
Seven Baltic and Nordic countries asked on Friday to ban Russian soldiers from entering the Schengen zone.
Greece’s shipping minister warns that any closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel would have serious global economic consequences.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
US President Donald Trump said Friday that a major deal with Harvard University could be announced soon.
US President Donald Trump rejected the official assessment from his intelligence community that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon.
NATO needs to evolve to meet today’s changing world, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Friday.
Pakistan has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his "diplomatic role and leadership" during the recent crisis with India.
The US will host the official signing of a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the State Department announced Friday.
The US will host the official signing of a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the State Department announced Friday.
The EU Commission signed five major agreements with Africa, securing over €1.2 billion ($1.38 billion) in investments and guarantees, EU President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday that Türkiye is using all diplomatic means to establish stability not only in the Caucasus but throughout the region.
Seven Baltic and Nordic countries asked on Friday to ban Russian soldiers from entering the Schengen zone.
Greece’s shipping minister warns that any closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel would have serious global economic consequences.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment