Death toll from China chemical plant blast rises to 78
- 56 casualties have been identified following accident in Yangcheng
- Cabinet orders nationwide checks on chemical plants to spot dangers
The death toll from an explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China last week has risen to 78, of whom 56 have been identified.
Cao Lubao, mayor of the city of Yancheng, Jiangsu province, said on Monday that the number of fatalities had increased from 64 on Sunday.
The authorities said over the weekend that more than 600 people had been injured in the explosion at the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant on Thursday.
The death toll makes the incident the deadliest industrial accident in the country since the 2015 explosions in Tianjin, which claimed 173 lives.
Although police have detained Tianjiayi Chemical’s key executives, observers believe Beijing will also take action against officials who are partially responsible for the accident.
Wang Jiangyu, an associate professor from the National University of Singapore’s law faculty, said: “Looking at the severity, heads will also roll among the government officials who were in charge.”
