BEIJING – Eight people were killed and another nine were injured in a huge explosion at a petrochemical plant in eastern China on Monday, state-run media reported.

A liquified gas tanker had exploded early morning in the factory of Linyi Jinyu Petrochemical Co. Ltd in the city of Linyi in the eastern Shandong province, leading to a massive fire at the loading area of the factory.

Over 900 firefighters in 170 vehicles were rushed to the factory to fight the fire and people from nearby factories and villages were evacuated.

The owner of the company has been taken into custody and an investigation into the cause of the explosion has been launched, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

The nine injured are stable, the Xinhua report added.

Accidents are frequent in China’s industrial sector owing to lax safety measures and a lack of supervision by the authorities.