Society

1 dead, 2 missing in refinery blast

By Wu Yong and Yan Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-20 08:02

A dense cloud of smoke rises from a refinery at the No 2 Petroleum Plant of Fushun Petrochemical Co in Fushun city, Northeast China's Liaoning province, following an explosion that took place at the site earlier on Wednesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

FUSHUN, Liaoning - A blast rocked a petrochemical plant here on Wednesday morning, leaving at least one worker dead, two missing and four slightly injured, the company's press officer said on Wednesday afternoon.

The blast occurred at about 9:25 am in a refinery at the No 2 Petroleum Plant of Fushun Petrochemical Co, a subsidiary of the State-owned PetroChina Co Ltd. More than 20 workers were on duty at the time, according to a press release provided by the company.

As of 4 pm on Wednesday, one worker was killed in the blast, Wang Liang, the company's press officer, told China Daily.

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Another two workers remained unaccounted for and four others suffered light injuries.

Previous accounts, which quoted rescue workers, reported that no deaths occurred in the blast. They also reported that more than 30 injured workers had been taken to local hospitals for emergency treatment.

Plumes of thick black smoke continued to rise from the plant on Wednesday afternoon and the acrid smell of burning chemicals could be detected a kilometer away.

The windows in neighboring buildings were shattered by the blast.

"I heard a giant bang around 9:30 am and ran outside. There were flames from the workshop reaching dozens of meters into the sky," an unidentified plant worker told Xinhua News Agency.

Local police cordoned off the site on Wednesday, while firefighters from five cities kept chemical tankers cool to prevent them from exploding.

Workers at the plant seemed calm after the accident and the fire was brought under control, said Zhao Qibin, the city's publicity official.

An investigation into the cause of the blast was under way, he added.

This was the second explosion to occur at the Fushun Petrochemical Co over the past five months.

On Sept 7, 2010, a pump at a workshop of the company's No 3 Petroleum Plant caught fire and exploded. No deaths or injuries were reported.

Liu Ce contributed to this story.