By Li Muzi
An explosion struck a steel plate plant operated by a state-controlled company in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, on Jan. 18, sending a mushroom cloud into the air and producing shockwaves felt across surrounding districts. According to official information, the blast killed two people, left eight missing, and injured 84 others, including several in critical condition.
The incident occurred at a plate manufacturing facility under Baogang Group, one of China’s major steel producers. Videos circulating online show the moment of the explosion, with a massive storage tank blown into the air before crashing back to the ground, leaving a deep crater.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV News reported that Baotou authorities held a press conference on the morning of Jan. 19 to brief the public on the incident. Officials said the explosion occurred at 3:03 p.m. on Jan. 18 at a 650-cubic-meter saturated water and steam spherical tank inside the steelmaking operations department of the Baogang plate plant.
As of the time of the briefing, officials said the explosion had resulted in two deaths, eight people missing, and 84 people hospitalized for treatment.
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Among the injured, five were reported to be in critical condition, while the remaining 79 suffered minor injuries, including head and facial trauma and soft tissue contusions to the limbs. Authorities said all hospitalized patients were in stable condition.
Large iron tank thrown into the air
On Jan. 19, a person familiar with the situation told The Beijing News that a large iron tank thrown by the blast landed in a nearby scrap collection yard.
“The tank came down and covered electric tricycles and piles of scrap metal in the yard,” the source said. The individual added that people had been working in the yard the day before the explosion, but no one was present at the time of the incident. Several buildings in the yard were reportedly crushed by the falling tank.
A shop employee in Jiuyuan District told Jimunews that around 3 p.m. that afternoon, they heard a loud bang, and one of the shop’s glass doors shattered. No one was injured, the employee said. The shop is located more than 10 kilometers in a straight line from Erjiahaicun Village, where the explosion occurred.
According to Jimunews, residents across multiple districts of Baotou reported hearing the blast and feeling strong vibrations. A resident in Donghe District said they heard a loud boom and felt their building shake, followed by car alarms going off downstairs.
“I thought someone was setting off fireworks and didn’t think much of it,” the resident said. “Later I found out there had been an explosion.”
In Qing Mountain District, residents also reported hearing the noise and feeling tremors, with some saying they initially believed an earthquake had struck.
Video captures the explosion
Videos circulating online capture the moment of the explosion, as a powerful shockwave tore through the site, lifting a massive circular storage tank off the ground and flinging it dozens of meters into the air.The damaged tank later slammed into the ground, leaving a large crater. Nearby witnesses were heard saying that office windows had been completely blown out.
Other footage shows a worker sitting by the roadside, with a large pool of blood visible on the ground in front of him, suggesting that he had been injured in the blast.
Corporate records from Tianyancha show that Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co., Ltd., commonly known as Baogang Group, was established on June 29, 1999. The company is state-controlled and designated as a national high-tech enterprise. It is one of China’s key steel industry bases and the world’s largest rare-earth industrial base.
Over the past two decades, Baogang Group’s total assets have increased more than twentyfold. The company has raised approximately 459.35 billion yuan through equity financing, while its total market capitalization has grown from about 7.1 billion yuan to more than 170 billion yuan, peaking at over 180 billion yuan, making it the largest listed steel company in western China.
Netizens express skepticism
Following the official briefing, many mainland Chinese internet users expressed skepticism about the reported casualty figures.
“Are they downplaying the situation? Only five people rescued? How many people work in that factory?” one commenter wrote.
“So few people? That’s impossible,” another said.
Others questioned the terminology used by authorities.
“What exactly does ‘missing’ mean?” one user asked. “Are they no longer going to use the word ‘missing persons’?”
Some netizens said the scale of the explosion suggested a far more serious outcome.
“With such a massive blast, if people are missing, the chances are grim,” one comment read. “Safety management can’t just be about slogans.”
Others voiced broader concerns about industrial safety.
“If such a major state-owned enterprise can have an accident of this magnitude, it’s frightening to imagine what could happen at smaller companies,” one user wrote.
An X user posted a lengthy comment accusing authorities of following what they described as a familiar pattern.
“Conceal the numbers, issue condolences, ‘attach great importance,’ handle the aftermath, offer compensation, turn funerals into celebrations, fast-track Party membership, shuffle responsibility around, announce ‘serious punishment,’ and then go back to business as usual,” the post said. “This has been the Communist Party’s routine for decades. In the end, it’s systemic corruption from top to bottom. Leaders walk away first. How many workers die means nothing to them.”
Editor’s Note:This article is based on reports from Chinese state media, local news outlets, publicly shared videos, and online commentary. Information regarding casualties and the cause of the explosion relies on official briefings and media accounts and has not been independently verified.
