3 injured in E China chemical warehouse blasts

Three people were injured, two seriously, as blasts ripped through chemical warehouses in east China's Wenzhou city on Monday, authorities said.

One of the two seriously injured victims suffered burns covering up to 94 percent of the body, while another had burns covering 55 percent, according to hospital sources.

The fire was under control as of 5 pm.

The explosion happened at around 2 pm at the Wenzhou Chemical Market on Niushanbei Road. The warehouses are mostly used for storing chemicals.

A tanker inside the market caught fire first and ignited the warehouses, according to market staff.

"The chemicals are mainly methyl alcohol and benzene, and we heard several blasts," said one worker at the market.

The Wenzhou Chemical Market is a major center for chemical sales, storage and transportation in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province. It has more than 200 shops with an area of 10,000 square meters, and warehouses covering 15,000 square meters.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.