AsianFin -- Residents near a chemical plant in eastern China were assessing the damage to their homes on Wednesday following a massive and still unexplained explosion that killed at least five people.

The blast, which sent chemicals spewing into the air and shattered windows up to a kilometre away, has left the local community shaken.

Thick plumes of black and grey smoke continued to hang over the facility in Gaomi, a city in Shandong province, a day after the explosion. According to state-run Xinhua News Agency, 19 people were injured and six remain missing.