An explosion at a chemical plant in Henan killed seven people and injured more than 100 early yesterday morning. Among the injured were residents cut by shards of glass from shattered windows.
The blast occurred at a factory owned by the Luoran Company in Yanshi town near Luoyang at 2am, when about 10 tonnes of the flammable chemical chlorobenzene stored in a warehouse caught fire and exploded, according to Xinhua. The cause of the initial fire was not known.
People living within a radius of one kilometre had to evacuate but were allowed home after a few hours, the Yanshi government said.
Seventeen workers were in the factory when the blast occurred. Seven were killed and nine were being treated in hospitals for severe burns. One worker was unharmed.
According to local residents, workers' dormitory doors were blown off their hinges, furniture flew across rooms and the sky turned red as the factory burned.
Electricity supplies were cut and the injured were taken to hospitals outside the county. Rescuers and firefighters said their recovery work was hindered by chemical fumes.
