A 'mushroom cloud' flashed into the sky at a chemical plant in Xiantao, Hubei

At around 17:30 on 3 August, 2020, a flash explosion occurred in the butanone oxime workshop of Lanhua Silicone Co., Ltd. in Xiliuhe Town, Xiantao City. The accident caused 5 people to be injured and 4 people lost contact. As of 19:00, the fire had been extinguished, the injured had been sent to the hospital for treatment, and the missing persons were in search and rescue.

A farmer near the place of origin said that at the time of the incident, he was working on a farm less than one kilometer away from the fertilizer plant and suddenly heard a muffled noise. "I thought there was a car puncture." Then there was another loud noise, and thick smoke billowed from the industrial park.

The above-mentioned residents said that the glass in a nearby villager's home was shattered. His wife was lying on a recliner sleeping at the time. She was awakened by the shock from the explosion and still feels dizzy. When the accident happened, there was no obvious smell at the scene, but to prevent possible pollution in the air, he drove to the city for the night.

A staff member of the First People's Hospital of Xiantao City told reporters that after the incident, many injured people were sent to hospital for treatment, "there were burns, bones were injured, and some eye injuries."

A staff member of Xiantao People's Hospital said that at 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the hospital admitted multiple injured workers sent from the factory where the flash explosion occurred. “There were burns, bones were injured, and some eye injuries.” .
The above-mentioned staff also claimed that some workers had been transferred to Wuhan for treatment after being injured.

After the accident, the main leaders and leaders in charge of the Hubei Provincial Emergency Management Department and the Xiantao Municipal Party Committee and Government rushed to the scene to organize public security, fire protection, emergency response, environmental protection, health and other departments to carry out disposal. No secondary disaster occurred at the scene, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

According to industrial and commercial data, Xiantao Lanhua Organic Silicone Co., Ltd. has a registered capital of 50 million yuan, and its business scope covers the production and sales of organic silicon chemical products, chemical raw materials, and methyl ethyl ketoxime. In June 2015, the organosilicon project was punished by the local environmental protection department because it did not conduct environmental impact assessment and started construction without authorization. (Source: The Beijing News)