Posted on 01/21/2026 7:47:08 AM PST by EBH
Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper said the force of the explosion had even affected a railway line 5km (three miles) away. Factory valves were ejected during the blast and landed on the tracks, causing delays and disruptions to trains passing through Baotou.
Residents of a nearby village said around 70 to 80 per cent of the windows in the village’s 500 to 600 households were shattered, according to The Paper.
Baotou Steel Group is a large state-owned steel enterprise. The factory involved in the accident primarily produces composite steel with added rare earth elements such as lanthanum and cerium, widely used for high-speed rail, marine engineering, and military equipment. The company’s safety practices have come under repeated criticism from local authorities and the Ministry of Emergency Management.
(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...
Bautou is the source of China’s neodymium magnet exports, which of course they are restricting down to zero for Chinese sanctioned entities (namely, US and Europe defense firms and executives).
This event provides them with rationale to not provide magnets to whoever they don’t want to.
being a worker in a chinese factory/mine/lab comes with a fairly good risk of mayhem.
Ouch! That had to hurt.
That exposive force killed more than just 9 people....probably lucky if they’ll even be able to id some of the bodies
Somebody’s going to be executed.
The 17 Rare Earth Elements
Lanthanum (La)
Cerium (Ce)
Praseodymium (Pr)
Neodymium (Nd)
Promethium (Pm)
Samarium (Sm)
Europium (Eu)
Gadolinium (Gd)
Terbium (Tb)
Dysprosium (Dy)
Holmium (Ho)
Erbium (Er)
Thulium (Tm)
Ytterbium (Yb)
Lutetium (Lu)
Scandium (Sc)
Yttrium (Y)
Few REE mineral deposits have many of these, so it is important to specify which ones are there.
China lies pathologically. Probably more like 90. Or 900.
They make a too fast.
Don’t ypu mean REEEEEEE!! ?
(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
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