Photo taken on Nov 28, 2018 shows the blast site near Shenghua chemical plant in Zhangjiakou city, North China's Hebei Province. (Photo/Xinhua)
The blast on Wednesday that killed 23 people in Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province was caused by a leak of chloroethylene from a chemical company, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday.
An investigation team supervised by the ministry found a gasometer containing chloroethylene belonging to Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co had a leak, and the out chloroethylene, which diffused to the road outside the company, caused the blast when it met with flame on the road.
The government of Hebei will dig into the specific causes of the leak, the ministry said, adding the ministry will supervise the investigation directly.
The blast, which engulfed 38 trucks and 12 cars on a roadside by chemical companies in Zhangjiakou's Qiaodong district, happened at 12:41 a.m. on Wednesday, killing 23 people and injuring 22.
