19 injured as blaze continues at chemical plant in China

At least 19 people were injured in an explosion and a fire at a controversial chemical plant in the eastern Chinese Fujian province, the second such accident at the plant in nearly two years.
Three hours after the fire was thought to have been put off after 21 hours of fire fighting, the blaze once again reignited this evening, state run Xinhua news agency reported.
The first explosion rocked Tenglong Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Zhangzhou) Co Ltd in the Gulei Peninsula in Zhangzhou city yesterday evening, when an oil leak at a xylene facility caught fire, an investigation found.
Health authorities said 19 injured people are being treated in the hospital, media report said.

Local residents were evacuated, and 177 fire tenders and 829 fire fighters battled the blaze.
The plant produces paraxylene (PX), an industrial chemical used for making fiber and plastics.

Environmental protection authorities have dispatched more than 50 personnel to monitor the environment. Waste water has been collected and no excessive pollutants have been detected in three nearby villages.
PX plants are highly controversial in China, and proposed plants have met strong public opposition in recent years.
China's environmental minister Zhou Shengxian insisted during the country's annual parliamentary session in March that new PX projects must pass environmental impact assessments.