Thirty five people are known to have died and 166 to have been injured following the explosion of an oil pipeline in the city of Qingdao in eastern Shandong Province, China, on Friday 22 November 2013, and it is feared that the death toll could rise further. The incident took place while crews were attempting to repair a leak on the pipeline that had been reported earlier in the day. After the initial explosion petroleum leaked onto a nearby estuary covering about 3000 m² of water before igniting in a second explosion.
The scene of the 22 November 2013 Qingdao pipeline explosion. AFP/Getty Images.
The pipeline was operated by the Sinopec Group (China Petrochemical Corporation) and connected a series of oil depots in Qindao to an industrial complex in Weifang, 175 km to the northwest. Neither of these facilities was affected by the blast.
The approximate location of the Qingdao pipeline explosion. Google Maps.
See also Oil spill of the coast of Maharashtra State, India, Oil spill in the Gulf of Khambhat, Oil spill devastates popular Thai tourist resort, Gas and oil leak at Taylor Creek in Bayelsa State, Nigeria and South Sudan denies involvement in Abyei pipeline explosion.
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