Explosions at Dutch Shell plant

Fire crews raced to this Shell chemical plant in the Netherlands to tackle a blaze late on Tuesday night.

The fire broke out after a series of explosions at the Moerdijk plant.

These plumes of smoke could be seen from as far away as 30 kilometres.

Remarkably -- considering the scale of the blaze -- only two people suffered minor injuries.

The cause of the blasts are still unknown.

The plant, which is south of Rotterdam, manufactures oil-based chemicals for products ranging from car components to insulation materials.

Shell says its priority is to make sure people nearby are safe and to minimise the environmental impact.