SHENZHEN: Sinopec's Shanghai Petrochemical said on Saturday an explosion had occurred on a pipeline carrying raw materials for making ethylene, injuring eight employees.

A fire at the site of the explosion has been extinguished and the cause of the blast is under investigation, the company said in a notice posted on its official Weibo social media account.

Shanghai Petrochemical said in late March that it planned to shut around 50% of the capacity of its refinery and petrochemical facilities for planned maintenance.

The refinery, which has an annual crude oil processing capacity of 16 million tonnes, was scheduled to carry out the overhaul in April and May.