America News Agency

According to the state broadcaster CCTV, the explosion took place just before 12 noon local time at a workshop of Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Gaomi, Shandong province. Rescue and medical efforts are currently ongoing.

The CCTV report did not specify the cause of the explosion. There were no immediate reports of casualties in state media.

Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed gray and orange smoke rising upward and enveloping buildings in an industrial park. The footage showed that windows of some low-rise buildings nearby were damaged.

The ministry stated that local fire and rescue services dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 personnel to the scene, while the Ministry of Emergency Management sent a working group and additional rescue support.

Founded in August 2019, Shandong Youdao Chemical, according to its website, occupies more than 46 hectares in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park and employs over 300 people.

The company develops, manufactures, and sells pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and chemical intermediates, according to the website.

In 2015, a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in the northeastern city of Tianjin killed over 100 people and released toxic fumes into the air.