Testing rules out environmental damage at factory explosion site

The explosion at a steel mill in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sunday caused no detectable impact on surrounding air and soil, and no wastewater has been generated at the scene, Baogang United Steel said in an announcement published by Securities Times on Monday.

Baogang United Steel said the blast occurred at 3:03 pm at a plate mill operated by a subsidiary controlled by the company in western Baotou city and resulted in the death of two people, while eight were reported missing and 84 injured. Follow-up testing conducted by Baotou city's ecological and environmental department found no environmental impact at the site.

The company said the explosion damaged parts of the plant and equipment and will affect production on the plate mill's line and on nearby lines. The company is verifying and assessing the extent of the losses and will carry out a comprehensive safety inspection.