Wednesday, May 28

At least five people were killed and at least 19 others were injured yesterday after a massive blast in the Chinese province of Shandong.

The huge explosion, which occurred in the middle of the afternoon, happened at a chemical plant in Shandong, located in northeastern China. The plant, owned by Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co., is in the center of the city of Weifang, which has a population of around 9.4 million people. It primarily manufactures pesticides and pharmaceutical chemicals.

Witnesses of the blast reported feeling strong shaking along with a large boom, and windows were broken at a structure over two miles away. Yellow and red smoke quickly began erupting out of the plant, and students at a school nearby were given gas masks to protect them from the chemicals.

Hundreds of firefighters were sent to the scene to battle the blaze, and at least five people were killed in the blast. 19 others were injured, and six people are still missing. Search-and-rescue operations are currently ongoing, and an investigation will soon begin into the cause of the incident.

Nevertheless, operations have been tough, as the area is still covered in ash and smoke is still rising from the ruins of the plant. Air quality tests are being conducted constantly, and fears are rising around the area that the toxic chemicals could be carried into nearby areas by winds.

Preliminary reports have revealed that the factory was flagged for over 800 safety issues last year, but the corporation managed to resolve all of them. This has led authorities to believe one of these to be the cause, but no speculations have been confirmed yet.

Unfortunately, incidents like this are not uncommon in China, which is the home of around 26,000 chemical companies. In total, working conditions can be tough, and accidents are common-- the country confirmed that around 21,800 incidents took place last year alone, leading to the deaths of over 19,600 people.

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Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther. (J.P. Morgan)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Interminable (adj, in-TER-muh-nuh-bul) - Interminable describes things that have or seem to have no end, especially because they continue for a very long time.

In a Sentence: The family played games to pass the time during the interminable wait for their delayed flight.