At least 22 people have been killed and another 22 injured following a powerful explosion which, according to local authorities, also damaged around 50 vehicles near a chemical plant in the Chinese city of Zhangjiakou.
The explosion in the vicinity of Hebei Shenghua Chemical Co., Ltd. in Zhangjiakou happened in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting local authorities to launch a massive firefighting and rescue operation.

A video, said to be from the scene, shows a caravan of cars parked on the street burning, with flames also visible from within the chemical plant. At least 38 large trucks and 12 small cars were incinerated in the accident.

#BREAKING 22 killed, 22 others wounded in an explosion near a chemical factory in Zhangjiakou City, N China’s Hebei Province; injured hospitalized, probe underway pic.twitter.com/6dQrn11qFW

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) November 28, 2018

【张家口化工厂爆炸已致22死22伤】张家口化工公司附近发生爆炸起火事故，经公安消防现场搜救确认，目前有22人死亡，22人受伤。事故中过火大货车38辆、小型车12辆。 pic.twitter.com/qxUDEi7vAR

— Alan’s Knight (@Ylxitsxpyikru) November 28, 2018

Local authorities are advising the public to stay away from the site as search and rescue efforts continue. So far, 22 people were officially confirmed to have perished in the blast, with another 22 injured having been rushed to local hospitals. The cause of the incident is not yet known.

Source: rt