(Photo/CGTN)

At least 10 people were killed and another nine injured in an explosion at a petrochemical plant in eastern China’s Shandong Province in the early hours of Monday.

The blast happened at around 1 a.m. in the loading area of the plant in Tuanlin town of Linyi city.

According to the emergency rescue headquarters, one person died at the scene. The rescuers have further retrieved nine bodies out of debris after the 2-day search, bringing the death toll to 10.

 As of 4 p.m. on Monday, the fire in Linyi city had been put out. Six potentially explosive isooctane storage tanks have now been made safe.

The factory, operated by Jinyu Petrochemical, was established in 2010, and mainly produces liquefied petroleum gas.

Provincial authorities warned the company about inadequate safety standards in August last year.