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2nd blast occurs in fire-engulfed pesticide factory

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-09 14:18
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YANGGU, Shandong - A second explosion occurred at a pesticide factory in east China's Shandong Province Thursday morning, as a fire continued to burn in the factory after an initial explosion Wednesday injured seven people.

Causing a large fireball and thick smoke, the second blast at the Shandong Yanggu Zhongshi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. factory occurred at 9:30 am.

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Firefighters were unable to extinguish the blaze caused by Wednesday's explosion and they were waiting for it to burn itself out when the second explosion occurred.

The flammable chemical aniline fueled the second explosion, said a company spokesman.

As of 10 am, there were no new casualties as a result of the second explosion.

The first explosion happened at 5:40 am Wednesday.

Toxic smoke from the blaze prompted authorities to evacuate 8,000 residents in nearby villages.