Locals Question Death Toll After Chemical Blast in Eastern China

An explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China’s Shandong province on May 27 killed at least five people, injured 19, and left six others missing, according to official reports. However, Chinese authorities have a history of underreporting major accidents, often due to concerns that local officials could face disciplinary action if casualty numbers surpass certain thresholds.

The blast occurred at the Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. plant in Weifang, Shandong Province. Locals told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times they believe the true death toll is significantly higher than reported. Videos circulating online showed extensive damage to nearby buildings and large plumes of smoke rising from the site.

In a phone interview on May 28, a man using the pseudonym Lu Ming said his 33-year-old brother was critically injured in the explosion and remained hospitalized.

“This explosion was extremely serious. Many people must have died,” Lu said. “Ninety percent of the injured are severely burned and in critical condition. My brother is among them.”

Lu said his brother had worked at the plant for four years and has two young children. The family only learned of the incident through media reports.

“Later, we received a text saying my brother had been hurt,“ he said. ”My father and sister rushed to the hospital. My mother is so worried she hasn’t been able to eat.”

According to Lu, injured coworkers described the blast as sudden and overwhelming, leaving workers no time to escape.

“The real number of casualties must be far higher than what’s being reported. The public security bureau is blocking information,” Lu said.

“There were over a dozen workers in those production workshops, and all of them exploded at once. There’s no way the people inside could have survived. Ambulances couldn’t keep up—they had to send patients to several different hospitals.”

He also said the blast triggered a second explosion at a neighboring chemical facility.

Other witnesses who spoke to the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times gave similar accounts of the explosion’s devastating impact.

Liang Ze (pseudonym), a worker at a nearby factory, said that the blast shattered the windows of nearby shops and injured several people.

Meng Jie (pseudonym), a villager living about five kilometers from the site, said the explosion was powerful enough to rattle homes in his neighborhood. One kilometer is about 0.6 miles.

“It happened right around lunchtime,” Meng said. “We were eating when we heard a deafening boom.”

Videos shared on social media showed thick yellow and black fumes rising from the site, while white smoke sprayed from ruptured pipelines inside the plant. Meng, who lives south of the facility, said toxic fumes were carried northward by the wind, triggering panic in that direction.

“People were scared,” he said. “Everyone put on masks and sealed their doors and windows.”

Residents are now calling for transparency regarding the potential long-term health effects of the chemical leak, as well as compensation for property damage. Local authorities, however, have focused on controlling the narrative, repeatedly urging the public not to “spread or believe rumors,” according to Meng.

“The government has banned filming at the site and warned that anyone caught posting related videos will be detained,” he said. “Police sealed off the area shortly after the explosion, and it seems the lockdown could remain in place for some time.”

Videos recorded in the aftermath showed injured people, some covered in blood, in surrounding areas. The blast wave shattered windows several kilometers away, leaving buildings visibly damaged.

Chinese state media, citing local interviews, confirmed widespread destruction in the area. In Renhe Village, about two kilometers from the site, one home’s ceiling collapsed, and its walls blackened. In a seven-story building about one kilometer away, multiple apartment windows were blown out, leaving only the frames. A woman living in a high-rise two kilometers from the blast said the entire building was shaking at the time of the explosion.

Records show that during a regulatory inspection in February 2024, Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co. was cited by authorities for major accident hazards and was ordered to undertake further corrective action, according to the corporate data platform Tianyancha.

Founded in August 2019, the plant covers more than 700 mu (approximately 115 acres) and specializes in the production of low-toxicity, high-efficiency pesticides and their intermediates. As of May, the company employs more than 300 people, including 81 research and development staff, according to its website.