Nine killed in China gas explosion

At least nine people were killed and 150,000 forced to flee their homes when leaking chlorine gas exploded at a chemical plant in south-western China, the government said today.

The explosions occurred yesterday evening at the Tianyuan Chemical Industry Plant in the city of Chongqing, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

At least seven containers of liquefied chlorine were leaking fumes, which could be smelled as far away as 1,000 feet, the report said. It was not immediately clear what triggered the explosions.

Firefighters were spraying a mixture of water and lye into the air in hopes of clearing away some of the gas, Xinhua said.

The leaks were first detected late Thursday, Xinhua said, citing Vice Mayor Zhou Mubing.

Minor explosions were heard later that night, but the report didn’t mention injuries at that time.

Residents were evacuated from areas within two miles of the plant, Xinhua said.