44 killed in China chemical plant explosion, 90 people seriously injured

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Rescuers walk near the site of a factory explosion in a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui County of Yancheng in eastern China's Jiangsu province.
Rescuers walk near the site of a factory explosion in a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui County of Yancheng in eastern China's Jiangsu province.

New Delhi : A massive explosion at the chemical plant in China has killed 44 people with 90 workers seriously injured. The blast on Thursday took place at Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant in the city of Yancheng and is considered as worst industrial accident in years. Nearly 1,000 area residents have been shifted to safety as a precaution against leaks and additional explosions.

The blast was so huge that windows in buildings as far as about 6 kilometers (3 miles) were blown out by the force. The Yancheng city government said on its official microblog that 3,500 medical workers at 16 hospitals had been appointed to treat the injured. 

The blast left 32 people in a critical condition and while 58 were seriously injured, the local authority stated. The Ministry of Emergency Management said 88 people have been rescued from the site of the incident.

The fire fighter brigade of Jiangsu has mobilised 176 fire trucks with 928 personnel to join the rescue mission, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the leak of toxic chemicals might have affected the people and environment in the surrounding areas. Yancheng’s education department said school students were among those injured in the explosion.

China has long struggled with industrial safety. A 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the city of Tianjin killed 173 people.