At least 22
people were killed after a leaking pipeline caught fire and exploded on Friday
morning in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong province, local
authorities said.
The number
of injured people have not yet been confirmed. They are being treated in local
hospitals.
The
accident happened around 10:30am in Huangdao district when workers were
repairing the petroleum pipeline, which began leaking oil at around 3am,
according to the Qingdao government's publicity office.
Oil flow
through the pipeline was shut down at about 3:15am. The fire has been put out
and barricades have been set up to stop the oil from entering the sea,
according to a comment posted on Friday afternoon on the official microblog of
the Qingdao municipal environmental protection bureau on Sina Weibo.
The 176-km
pipeline, which links oil depots in Huangdao to Weifang, home to a few
petrochemical plants, is owned by Sinopec, China's largest oil refiner.
Pieces of
cement and debris were scattered around the explosion site, which is close to
the coast.
An oil belt
with a length of two to three meters could be seen in waters around the
explosion spot as of 2:40pm. No new oil leakage from the pipeline had been
found, according to a Xinhua reporter at the scene.
While sources
with the city's maritime safety administration told Xinhua that they had not
received any report on blast-related pollution in the sea so far, they have
strengthened patrolling around the coastal areas close to the blast site.
Photographs
posted on Sina Weibo showed the blast caused a large trench in the ground and
that car windows nearby were cracked.
Environmental
monitoring showed that the concentration of toxic materials in the air is under
the national standard. The local government has told citizens to stay calm.
Huangdao
district is connected with the city proper by the Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.
Xinhua
reporters said the exit on the bridge leading to Huangdao has been temporarily
closed and only emergency vehicles are allowed to enter. Local traffic
authorities have told drivers to allow rescue vehicles to pass.
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