Explosion at plant brings 52 trains to halt

Fifty-two trains came to a standstill on Tuesday morning due to an explosion in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, affecting about 2,000 passengers at Beijing South Railway Station.

An explosion occurred at a plant, which is said to produce chemical materials, in Huaiyin district's Fanjiazhuang village at about 9:30 am. A fire caused by the blast was put out within an hour and there were no reported casualties, Jinan Times reported.

Locals said they heard loud explosions when the blast occurred.

The incident affected the railway circuit between Jinan West Railyway Station and Dezhou East Railway Station - two stations along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway - about 100 meters from the plant, according to the city's railway authorities.

Railway services were restored by noon, said Liang Zhaoyu, deputy secretary of the Beijing Railway Station's Party committee.

Hundreds of passengers were also stranded at Jinan West Railway Station in the afternoon.

Liang said people who bought tickets and were affected by the incident can get a full refund within 30 days.

Five additional trains were put into service to help transport passengers in the afternoon, according to the electronic display at Jinan West Railyway Station.

"The incident severely disrupted my schedule," a passenger, surnamed Wu, was quoted as saying by the Beijing News.

Wu got on a train at Beijing South Railway Station, but after the train did not move for two hours, she alighted.

Wu was given a full refund after lining up for an hour.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn