Beijing, 27 May

Five people were killed and six others reported missing after an explosion rocked one of the largest chemical plants in China on Tuesday, generating a huge fireball and sending plumes of smoke hundreds of feet into the air.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that five people were killed and six others were missing after the explosion at the state-owned Shandong Youdao Chemical, the world's largest producer of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, located in Shandong province.

The plant, established in 2019 in Gaomi city, produces around 11,000 tonnes of pesticide a year and has a workforce of over 300 people, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The explosion, whose cause is yet to be determined, took place around noon.

Videos and photos posted on Chinese social media showed a huge mushroom cloud billowing out of the factory after the explosion.

Emergency teams rushed to the chemical factory following the explosion, official media reported.

The Ministry of Emergency Management immediately dispatched a work team and specialised personnel, including firefighters, medical experts, and workplace safety specialists, to aid rescue efforts, Xinhua reported.

A total of 232 firefighters have been sent to the scene.

Locals said they were shaken by the intensity of the blast, which sent the window panes flying all around.