Blast near China plant kills 22 people

BEIJING — An explosion outside a chemical plant in northeastern China early Wednesday killed at least 22 people and destroyed scores of vehicles, in the latest challenge to efforts to boost industrial safety in the world’s second-largest economy.

The blast occurred just after midnight at a loading area next to the plant operated by the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., according to a statement from the Zhangjiakou city government. Zhangjiakou is one of the Chinese cities that will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Another 22 people were injured, and 38 trucks and 12 passenger cars were destroyed by fire, the statement said.

“We request that citizens do not go to the site to watch in order to avoid disrupting recovery efforts,” it said.

A city government official who gave only his surname, Gao, said the accident’s cause was still under investigation and that no other information could be provided.

Investigators suspect a truck carrying the highly flammable compound ethane for use by a nearby chemical factory exploded as it was passing the Shenghua plant, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The flames then spread to other trucks but not to the Shenghua complex itself, which continued to operate, the report said.

AP/Xinhua News Agency Firefighters work to extinguish some of the vehicles left in flames Wednesday after an explosion at a chemical plant in Zhangjiakou, China.