‘I knew it was a time bomb’: China chemical plant blast was not the first at industrial park
- Local residents say they took the risk of staying there because they relied on the factories for work
- Investigators criticise local authorities and company bosses for failing to rectify safety problems identified in past accidents
The team investigating a deadly blast at a pesticide plant in eastern China on Thursday, in which at least 64 people were killed and 640 were hurt, has criticised local authorities and company bosses for failing to rectify safety problems identified in earlier accidents.
Local residents meanwhile said there had been small explosions in the past at the Chenjiagang Industrial Park in Jiangsu province – where the plant is located – but they took the risk of staying there because they relied on the factories for work.
Despite the fact that the owners and directors of the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant had been fined and warned several times for violating safety regulations, the company was allowed to keep operating, according to investigators from the Ministry of Emergency Management.
“The accident demonstrates that some local governments and companies in Jiangsu province did not take past accidents seriously and did not invest solidly in improving security measures,” the team said in a statement on the ministry’s official Weibo account.
“They just continued with their deeds and it resulted in tragedy,” it said.
The announcement came after the team, led by the ministry’s party secretary Huang Ming, met for the first time on Saturday.
