Search efforts continue at site of China chemical plant explosion as fate of six missing people unknown

Explosion at Chinese chemical plant kills five, injures 19, with six missing; search-and-rescue efforts ongoing.

Six people remained missing and the search-and-rescue efforts continued on Wednesday (May 28, 2025) morning after an explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China shook nearby buildings, killing at least five people and injuring 19.

The blast on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), occurring in an industrial park in the city of Weifang, in Shandong Province, knocked out windows at nearby buildings and spewed a thick plume of white smoke, according to videos shared on social media.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosion, which occurred at a plant owned by Gaomi Youdao Chemical Corporation, a producer of pesticides and chemicals for medical use with more than 500 employees, according to corporate registration records.

Local fire officials sent more than 230 personnel to the scene, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

A student at a school about one kilometre away from the plant told state-run news site The Paper that he heard an explosion and saw dirt-yellow smoke, tainted with redness, rising from the plant. He said there was a funny smell, and all students were given masks and told not to remove them.

A staffer at the local environment bureau told The Paper that a team was dispatched to the scene to monitor potential pollution but had yet to report back.

The blast came less than two weeks after the National Ministry of Emergency Management held a workshop on preventing and controlling risks in the chemical industry, as Beijing urged officials at chemical industrial parks to boost their capabilities in “managing hazardous chemicals.”