Fire breaks out at a petrochemical plant in Shanghai

At least one person was killed in a fire at a chemical plant in Shanghai on Saturday, state media reported, while thick clouds of black smoke covered the city sky.

The fire broke out at the factory of "Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical" located in Jinshan District, southwest of the major Chinese city, around 4:00 pm (20:00 GMT), and it was brought under control a few hours later, according to the New China News Agency.

"According to our preliminary information, the fire caused the death of a person," the same source said.

A video clip filmed from the air by a drone showed thick clouds of smoke over the vast industrial area, and three separate fires in separate buildings.

The accident comes as Shanghai, the economic capital of China, cautiously resumes its activity after being completely isolated for two months to combat the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic.

The isolation, which officially ended in early June, has closed factories and disrupted supply chains.

explosion and fire

Local media reported that residents near the petrochemical plant heard an explosion, followed by a fire.

Videos circulating on social media showed a thick cloud of smoke and ash rising in the sky.

"The whole area was burned down," says one of the residents, who appears shocked in one of the videos.

The refinery is located near the waterfront, next to a natural park.

And the Shanghai Fire Department announced on the Weibo website, the local equivalent of Twitter in China, that it had sent more than 500 people to the scene of the accident as soon as it happened.

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