An explosion at a chemical park in southwestern China has killed at least 19 people and injured 12 others. A string of recent industrial accidents have led to calls for improved safety standards.
Image: picture-alliance/Imaginechina/T. Jinghao
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Authorities in southwestern Sichuan province have opened an investigation into a blast at an industrial complex that left 19 people dead, state news agency Xinhua reported Friday.
The explosion ripped through the Yibin Hengda Technology complex in the city of Yibin at 6:30 p.m. (1030 UTC) Thursday, sparking a fire that burned late into the night, Xinhua said.
County officials said that 12 people wounded in the blast had been taken to hospital and were in a stable condition.
Reports in the Sichuan Daily said the force of the explosion reduced three buildings to their steel frames and shattered the windows of nearby properties.
Firefighters mop up at the site of the Yibin chemical plant explosionImage: picture-alliance/XinHua
Lax regulations
China, the world's largest producer of chemicals, has sought to improve industrial safety standards following a series of high-profile accidents in recent years.
In 2015, 165 people were killed in a blast at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin. Last year, an explosion at a petrochemical plant in eastern Shandong province killed eight people.
The Yibin Hengda Technology plant, where Thursday's blast occurred, produces chemicals for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Man-made disasters in China in 2015
China has experienced several deadly disasters in 2015; four of them, which killed more than 600, were at least partly man-made - caused either by human errors or government mismanagement.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
New Year's Eve tragedy
On New Year's Eve 2014, a stampede broke out during a celebration on Shanghai's popular Bund harbor front, killing 36 people. Witnesses said the stampede began as some people tried to climb onto a platform overlooking the river, while others were trying to get down, creating panic and confusion.
Image: Reuters
Response criticized, along with local officials
The authorities admitted responsibility for the tragedy, noting the lack of preventive preparations, site management and improper response to the stampede. Some Huangpu District officials were punished afterwards; they were dining in an expensive restaurant when the accident took place. The photo shows impatient relatives of those injured trying to get into the emergency department in a hospital.
Image: Reuters
Capsize of "Oriental Star"
The cruise ship "Oriental Star" capsized in Yangtze River in the evening on 1 June, killing 442 of the 454 people on board. The sinking was China's worst shipping disaster since 1949.
Image: Reuters/Aly Song
Ship's seaworthiness questioned in aftermath
Rescue efforts were difficult, not just because of current, winds and waves, but also owing to the large numbers of elderly passengers and pensioners on board. Passengers' relatives raised questions about why the captain, who was among the 12 survivors, went ahead with the voyage in heavy rain and a thunderstorm. A government report also cited the ship for safety issues two years ago.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images
Tianjin warehouse explosions
A series of massive explosions in the port city of Tianjin in August killed at least 170 people and injured hundreds of others. Firefighters accounted for half of the casualties. The largest explosion's force was equivalent to roughly 21 tons of TNT, according to state media Xinhua.
Image: Reuters
Sodium cyanide storage site
The explosions occurred in a warehouse that handled large amount of hazardous chemicals. Safety standards at the warehouse were later questioned. The government was blamed for lax control of chemical facilities and poor management of chemical industrial parks. Some water samples from the quarantine zone around the blast site showed sodium cyanide levels far above the safe limits.
Image: Reuters/Stringer
Shenzhen landslide
A mountain of construction waste soil swept through an industrial park in Shenzhen on December 20, burying and damaging at least 33 buildings. At the time of publication, 76 people were still listed as officially missing. Rescue teams were still searching the rubble, even finding two survivors 72 hours after the landslide.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Color China Photo
Dumping site to blame?
Citing local residents, state media Xinhua said the debris and excavated soil had been piled up on an old quarry site for years. Heavy rains turned added weight and viscosity to the construction waste, triggering the landslide.
