A crash involving a truck carrying ammonium nitrate and another vehicle on a national highway in northern China led to an explosion that resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left four others hospitalized on 5 July, as reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua. An inquiry into the incident is currently in progress.
Ammonium nitrate is frequently utilized in both agricultural fertilizers and explosives, but it poses a significant risk of severe explosions. A blast in Beirut, Lebanon, in August 2020 that claimed at least 135 lives and injured thousands was caused by improperly stored ammonium nitrate. Furthermore, 165 individuals perished in Tianjin, China, in August 2015, after explosive and hazardous materials, including ammonium nitrate, ignited due to inadequate storage. In November 2016, a Chinese court sentenced nearly 50 individuals to prison for their involvement in the Tianjin port explosion, with one receiving a suspended death sentence.