A chemical factory explosion occurred tonight, August 22, at a factory in Huaitai district, Zibo city, Shandong province (China).

Scene of the explosionChemical plant in Shandong posted on Weibo - Photo: People's Daily

China's CCTV said several nearby homes were damaged by the explosion.

The number of casualties is unknown.

The explosion occurred at 8:50 p.m. (Beijing time) on the evening of August 22 and the incident site was only 1km from a residential area.

Initial images posted on Weibo by netizens showed huge flames shooting high into the air. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

The People's Daily said the impact of the explosion could be felt within a 5km radius.

The explosion came after two other explosions in Tianjin on August 12 that killed at least 121 people.

According to Reuters, traffic police across China were also ordered yesterday to be on high alert for dangerous chemicals, increase road inspections and tighten licensing for transporting chemicals.

According to TTO