Three people were injured in a chemical plant blast in East China's Fujian Province, provincial authorities said.

 

All the three people are being treated in hospital, the provincial bureau of workplace safety said, without specifying the extent of their injuries.

 

Some 430 fire-fighters are battling the fire in Zhangzhou.

 

This is the second accident in 20 months at the facility, which produces paraxylene (PX), an industrial chemical used for making fibers and plastics.

 

Windows were broken at a gas station one kilometre away from the blast site at around 6:56 pm. No one at the gas station was injured or killed, authorities said, adding that all have been evacuated.

 

Pictures posted by netizens on the Weibo micro blogging site show flames and fumes rising from the plant, with witnesses reporting strong tremors felt as far as 50 kilometres away from the blast. 

 

PX plants are highly controversial projects in China. All proposed plants have met strong public opposition in recent years.

 

China's environmental minister argued during the country's annual parliamentary session in March that construction of PX projects must be scientifically decided and also must pass environmental impact assessments. 

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