BEIJING
Chinese authorities have confirmed the deaths of at least five people in a blast at a chemical plant in the country's east.
State news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that the explosion occurred at around 11.22 p.m. (0422GMT) Monday at Shandong Binyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. in Shandong Province.
Authorities said that the fire was extinguished around 5 hours later, and wastewater from the plant has been sealed without any spill over.
Xinhua reported that air quality at the site was being monitored until 8.00 a.m. Tuesday, the authorities added.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the incident.
The explosion occurred around 3 weeks after a warehouse storing hundreds of tons of hazardous chemicals exploded in the northern port city of Tinajin, with 158 people eventually losing their lives.
Among the dead were 94 firefighters, 53 civilians and 11 police officers, while 15 people remain missing.
