Explosions at chemical storage company in eastern China

A facility storing chemicals and fuel caught fire and was rocked by explosions in the Chinese city of Jingjiang on Friday, the government and reports said, but no casualties were reported.

The blast recalled huge explosions caused by improper storage of chemicals in the northern city of Tianjin last August, when at least 165 people were killed and fears were raised of toxic contamination.

The Jingjiang government said on its verified microblog that the fire, which started at around 9:40 am (0140 GMT), was "under control" with no deaths or injuries.

But it was still burning in the afternoon, according to the official Xinhua news agency and national authorities.

Some 400 firefighters were trying to put out the blaze, fed by petrol storage tanks on the site, the fire department under the Ministry of Public Security said on its microblog.

Jingjiang, in the eastern province of Jiangsu,is located near the north bank of the Yangtze river about 150 kilometres (93 miles) from commercial hub Shanghai.

One photo posted online showed dark clouds of smoke with the fire burning amid what appeared to be storage tanks.
The accident was at the premises of a company called Jiangsu Deqiao Storage, which is authorised to keep hazardous chemicals and fuel, reports said.

Its parent is a Singapore-listed company called Hengyang Petrochemical Logistics. Deqiao's facilities include storage tanks and shipping berths on the Yangtze River, according to Hengyang's website.

Industrial accidents are common in China where safety standards are often lax.

But the massive blast in Tianjin sparked widespread anger over a perceived lack of transparency by officials about its causes and environmental impact.

The findings from a government inquiry into the Tianjin accident released in February recommended 123 people be punished.

The blast, which caused over $1 billion in damages, was caused by improper chemical storage by a company called Tianjin Ruihai International Logistics, which managed to evade safety laws.