An explosion at a gas factory in central China on the 19th July has killed at least 15 and seriously injured a further 15. The blast took place in the air separation unit of a gas plant at Yima, Henan Province, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

The explosion occurred in the air separation unit of a factory owned by the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. The explosion sent a ball of fire and thick plumes of smoke into the air, and charred the factory building, leaving only the frame, the accounts said.

According to residents the fire spread, nearby houses collapsed, and windows were shattered as far as two miles away. No explanation has been given as of yet for the explosion, and The official Xinhua news agency says that all production has now stopped.

China experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines. Several large explosions have occurred at chemical plants in China in recent years. The central government has ordered improvements in safety at factories, power plants and mines, where regulation is often lax and management of explosive materials often haphazard.

In 2015, 173 people were killed, most of them emergency workers, in explosions at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin. Unsafe storage of volatile materials was a cause of the blasts.

Content from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/20/world/asia/china-explosion-yima.html

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