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A pesticide factory explosion injured seven people in East China's Shandong province on Wednesday, local authorities said.

The blast occurred at 5:40 am at Zhongshi Chemical Co Ltd in Yanggu county, Liaocheng city.

The fire was extinguished at about 5 pm, but huge black clouds could still be seen rising from factory tanks.

Local media reported pungent chemical odors could be smelled 200 meters from the site on Wednesday afternoon, and the bounding walls around the tanks had collapsed.

More than 8,000 residents were evacuated after the blast, local authorities said.

Residents of Baliying, a village 2 kilometers from the factory, said the windows of most of their buildings were shattered and some tap-water pipes had cracked.

Villager Pan Dongzheng said he was asleep when the blast occurred.

"I heard a deafening sound, and I felt my house shake. I assumed it was an earthquake," the 58-year-old said. "The windows of my house all shattered."

Six people were slightly injured, and one man broke his leg. All have been hospitalized.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

But preliminary findings concluded the explosion was triggered by a fire that started in the oil contained in one of the tanks.

Local residents said the plant had three tanks - one filled with industrial alcohol and the others with liquid chemicals and oil.

Questions:

1. In what province did the explosion occur?

2. How many people were injured?

3. What time did the blast happen?

Answers:

1. Shandong province.

2. 7.

3. 5.40am on Wednesday.

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（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.