Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2015 shows the accident site after a blast at Shandong Binyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. in Diaokou Township of Lijin County, east China's Shandong Province. At least five people were confirmed dead after the explosion occurred on midnight Monday. (Photo: Xinhua/Lou Chen)
At least five people were confirmed dead after a blast at a chemical plant on midnight Monday in East China's Shandong Province, said local authorities in wee hours of Wednesday.
The explosion occurred at around 11:22 p.m. Monday at Shandong Binyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. in Diaokou Township of Lijin County, according to the publicity department of Dongying City, which administers Lijin.
Fire was put out at around 4: 20 a.m. Tuesday, and waste water from the plant has been sealed without any spillover, the publicity department said. Air quality at the site is being monitored, which was "up to standard" till 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, the authorities added.
Cause of the incident is under investigation.
According to the website of Shandong Binyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shandong Binyuan Group. It was founded in March 2014 and is located in Binhai Economic and Technological Development Zone of Lijin County. The company is a high-tech enterprise with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tonnes of modified adhesive materials.
