Gaomi, China - An explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China at midday on Tuesday killed at least five people, with six more still missing, according to reports from state media.

The blast occurred at the Youdao Chemical plant at around 12 PM local time in Gaomi, a town in Shandong province, about 280 miles southeast of Beijing, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported.

Videos broadcast by the Beijing newspaper Xinjingbao showed a gigantic column of gray smoke rising into the sky, a fire in an industrial zone, and shop windows apparently blown out by the explosion.

"An explosion occurred at the workshop of a chemical company in the city of Gaomi," Xinhua reported, confirming that emergency response efforts are still underway.

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The disaster "left five people dead, six missing and 19 lightly injured," Xinhua said, citing local officials.

Clips shared online show debris strewn across the road, a car with a smashed windscreen, and dark orange flames devouring installations in the background.

Emergency services dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 first responders to the scene, the national Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement.

Youdao Chemical manufactures "low-toxicity" pesticides and employs around 300 people on a site of 116 acres, according to The Paper, a Chinese online newspaper.

Industrial accidents occur regularly in China, where safety standards are comparably low and sometimes not respected by factory owners.

In 2015, explosions at warehouses containing flammable chemicals in the port city of Tianjin killed over 170 people and injured 700 others.