A massive explosion at a chemical plant in Weifang, China, killed at least five people and injured several others, just two weeks after officials held a national workshop on chemical safety.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management hosted a training session in early May urging better oversight of hazardous chemicals, the Associated Press reported. Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co.—the plant where the blast occurred—had previously been cited twice for safety issues in 2024, but was publicly praised in September for addressing more than 800 potential hazards through a party-led initiative.

The blast ripped through the plant around midday Tuesday, sending a plume of smoke into the sky and shattering windows up to a kilometer away. It occurred in an industrial zone in Shandong province and was strong enough to be felt nearly 2 miles away.

Local authorities deployed over 230 emergency personnel to the site. As of Wednesday, six people remain missing, and the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Nearby schools issued masks to students, and environmental monitoring teams were dispatched to test for air pollution. Residents reported feeling tremors similar to a small earthquake.

This latest tragedy adds to a troubling history of industrial accidents in China, including the 2015 Tianjin explosion that killed 173 people and a 2019 plant blast that left 78 dead.

Originally published on Latin Times

China Explosion Safety