At least one person was killed in a fire at a chemical plant in Shanghai on Saturday, state media reported, as thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky over the Chinese megalopolis according to a video obtained by AFP.
The fire at the Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co. plant, located in Jinshan district, southwest of Shanghai, started around 4 a.m. (2000 GMT) and was brought under control a few hours later, according to the agency. New China press.
"According to our first information, the fire has already caused one death," the agency said.
“Fire protection measures are currently underway,” the same source added.
A drone video, which a resident provided to AFP, shows thick clouds of smoke above the vast industrial area with three separate fires, in separate buildings.
500 firefighters on site
The fire broke out as Shanghai, the economic capital of China, cautiously resumes its activity after being completely confined for two months in response to an epidemic outbreak of Covid-19.
The lockdown, which officially ended in early June, led to factory closures and disruptions to supply chains.
According to local media, residents near this petrochemical plant heard an explosion.
It was then followed by a fire.
Videos circulating on social media show a thick cloud of smoke and ash rising into the sky.
“The whole area is completely burnt out,” reports what appears to be a shocked resident in one of his videos.
The refinery is located near the seafront, not far from a natural park.
The Shanghai Fire Department announced on Weibo, the local equivalent of Twitter, that it dispatched more than 500 people to the scene immediately after the incident.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched experts to the scene, CCTV reported.
The Shanghai Fire Department dispatched more than 500 people to the scene immediately after the incident.
The media did not indicate the cause of this fire.