Chinese Father Documents Life With Son Every Year of His Life for 3 Decades

2005: Plant Explosions

In the fall of 2005, Jilin city in a northeastern province of China experienced a series of explosions that occurred at the petrochemical plant. There were only six fatalities, but at least 70 people, including dozens of workers, endured injuries. In addition, many residents of the city had to be evacuated. As a result of the explosions, the nearby Songhua and Amur Rivers were tainted with chemicals, creating a toxic slick made up of benzene and nitrobenzene. The cause of the explosions was that a tower jammed up and wasn’t handled properly. The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows at least 100 to 200 meters away.