Nine workers have died after an explosion at a Sinochem-owned chemical plant in eastern China’s Shandong province. One other worker is missing and another is seriously injured.

The explosion took place at 8am local time on 1 May at a hydrogen peroxide unit of the Sinochem Luxi Chemical Plant, shutting down facilities involving the production of hydrogen peroxide, caprolactam, nylon 6 and polyol.

The preliminary investigation found that when recovering the fluid, a large amount of 70% hydrogen peroxide had leaked into the kettle of the hydrogen peroxide device.

The impurities in the kettle caused the hydrogen peroxide to decompose, causing overpressure explosions in the kettle that triggered explosions in the adjacent octanol storage tanks and pipeline leaks.

Listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1998, Luxi Chemical incorporates seven production units with annual hydrogen peroxide of 400,000 tonnes.

Hydrogen peroxide, in its pure form, is a pale-blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidiser, bleaching agent and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution in water for consumer use, and in higher concentrations for industrial use.

(Correction: This article, headline and image have been corrected to state that the facility is owned by Sinochem.)