A petrochemical terminal at Zhuhai Port in southern China suffered a major explosion and caused a massive fire today.
The accident occurred at Changlian Petrochemical’s base in the Gaolan port area of Zhuhai Port, just across the border from Macau at the mouth of the Pearl River.
The workers at the terminal and nearby areas have been urgently evacuated. Currently the casualties remain unknown. According to local reports, the fire has been put out.
Changlian Petrochemical, owned by Esson New Energy Group, produces various petrochemicals at the plant including benzene, toluene and and mixed xylenes. The terminal started production in 2003 and has an annual capacity capable of producing over 1.2m tons of petrochemicals.
The company had 15 safety issues reported during an inspection conducted in July last year.
An official at Zhuhai Port told Splash that the port operations are normal and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.
The huge explosion could be heard from the western parts of Hong Kong this afternoon more than 40 km away.
【珠海石化廠發生爆炸】今日，廣東珠海高欄港一化工廠發生爆炸，從市民拍攝的現場視頻可以看到，爆炸現場火光沖天。事發後，珠海當地投入救援，截止今日15時，現場明火仍未撲滅。願平安！ pic.twitter.com/r0MQjop5ML
— 人民日報 People's Daily (@PDChinese) January 14, 2020
— 91 Ultraman (@wurutoraman) January 14, 2020
