119 killed in poultry plant blaze
Source: Xinhua |
June 4, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A FIRE killed 119 people at a poultry factory in northeast China's Jilin Province yesterday, highlighting concerns over work safety conditions in China.
The fire broke out around 6:06am at a poultry processing workshop in Dehui, about 100 kilometers northeast of Changchun, the provincial capital.
More than 300 workers were in the plant when the fire began, according to witnesses who heard "loud bangs" before seeing dark smoke and flames rise from the building.
About 100 workers managed to escape, the witnesses said.
"I started working at 6am along with another 100 workers in my workshop," said Wang Fengya, a 44-year-old woman injured as she fled the fire.
"Soon after, someone shouted 'run away!' and we quickly ran to the exit, which is about 40 meters away from where I sit. Suddenly, the lights inside went out and the plant went dark," Wang said.
"When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw large flames."
The plant's complicated structure and narrow exits made rescue efforts difficult, rescuers said.
Another female worker said she saw several colleagues fall into a pool of water while trying to escape. "But I was so scared at the time that I had no way to help them. All I could do was to run," she said.
Local authorities sent 67 fire trucks and more than 500 firefighters to the scene, and the blaze was extinguished around noon.
Environmental authorities have begun monitoring the environmental impact.
People living nearby said they could smell a pungent odor after the fire broke out, with some suffering from headaches. Nearly 3,000 residents have been evacuated.
Some victims' families have arrived at the scene and demanded an investigation.
People suspected of being responsible for the accident have been taken into police custody for further inquiries.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing but the exact number of people still trapped in the Mishazi Township plant, owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company, has yet to be confirmed.
The fire is the third major work accident in northeast China in the past week and one of the most deadly in recent years.
On Sunday, an oil tank explosion in neighboring Liaoning Province left two people dead and another two missing.
The tank, containing diesel oil residue, exploded at around 2:20pm at a PetroChina outlet in the port city of Dalian, causing a nearby tank to burst into flames.
In Heilongjiang Province, north of Jilin, fire raged through a large grain storage center on Friday, causing tremendous economic losses but no casualties.
The blaze, in Huayuan Township in Lindian County, was first spotted at one barn around 1:15pm. Strong winds and high temperatures helped it spread to another 80 barns.
Local authorities have retrieved 27,000 tons of grain, with another 14,000 tons due to be retrieved over the next two days.
The China Grain Reserves Corporation, which runs the barn, said 51,000 tons of subsidized grain was in storage, adding that 1,000 tons was consumed by the fire.
An official said the fire was triggered by a short circuit, adding that it incurred 3 million yuan (US$489,000) in direct economic losses. Nine people have been charged with criminal negligence.
Enterprises' willingness to flout work safety laws, as well as the negligence of work safety supervisors, has led to frequent industrial accidents in China.
The government has taken stricter measures to improve safety at workplaces, lowering casualties over the years.
However, heavy fatalities from accidents like the Jilin fire indicate the outlook for workplace safety remains bleak.
President Xi Jinping vowed in a speech on Friday to deepen a national safety campaign, saying safety was a basic requirement for people's happiness and health, as well as for national development.
At a conference for "Safe China," a national campaign to ensure civilian and national security, Xi called for more efforts to solve "deep-rooted" safety issues to ensure people's livelihoods, social order and the country's long-term stability.
The sprawling expansion of cities has brought more plants closer to the residential areas, posing safety hazards.
Experts say work safety measures have failed to keep pace with the country's economic growth.
The fire broke out around 6:06am at a poultry processing workshop in Dehui, about 100 kilometers northeast of Changchun, the provincial capital.
More than 300 workers were in the plant when the fire began, according to witnesses who heard "loud bangs" before seeing dark smoke and flames rise from the building.
About 100 workers managed to escape, the witnesses said.
"I started working at 6am along with another 100 workers in my workshop," said Wang Fengya, a 44-year-old woman injured as she fled the fire.
"Soon after, someone shouted 'run away!' and we quickly ran to the exit, which is about 40 meters away from where I sit. Suddenly, the lights inside went out and the plant went dark," Wang said.
"When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw large flames."
The plant's complicated structure and narrow exits made rescue efforts difficult, rescuers said.
Another female worker said she saw several colleagues fall into a pool of water while trying to escape. "But I was so scared at the time that I had no way to help them. All I could do was to run," she said.
Local authorities sent 67 fire trucks and more than 500 firefighters to the scene, and the blaze was extinguished around noon.
Environmental authorities have begun monitoring the environmental impact.
People living nearby said they could smell a pungent odor after the fire broke out, with some suffering from headaches. Nearly 3,000 residents have been evacuated.
Some victims' families have arrived at the scene and demanded an investigation.
People suspected of being responsible for the accident have been taken into police custody for further inquiries.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing but the exact number of people still trapped in the Mishazi Township plant, owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company, has yet to be confirmed.
The fire is the third major work accident in northeast China in the past week and one of the most deadly in recent years.
On Sunday, an oil tank explosion in neighboring Liaoning Province left two people dead and another two missing.
The tank, containing diesel oil residue, exploded at around 2:20pm at a PetroChina outlet in the port city of Dalian, causing a nearby tank to burst into flames.
In Heilongjiang Province, north of Jilin, fire raged through a large grain storage center on Friday, causing tremendous economic losses but no casualties.
The blaze, in Huayuan Township in Lindian County, was first spotted at one barn around 1:15pm. Strong winds and high temperatures helped it spread to another 80 barns.
Local authorities have retrieved 27,000 tons of grain, with another 14,000 tons due to be retrieved over the next two days.
The China Grain Reserves Corporation, which runs the barn, said 51,000 tons of subsidized grain was in storage, adding that 1,000 tons was consumed by the fire.
An official said the fire was triggered by a short circuit, adding that it incurred 3 million yuan (US$489,000) in direct economic losses. Nine people have been charged with criminal negligence.
Enterprises' willingness to flout work safety laws, as well as the negligence of work safety supervisors, has led to frequent industrial accidents in China.
The government has taken stricter measures to improve safety at workplaces, lowering casualties over the years.
However, heavy fatalities from accidents like the Jilin fire indicate the outlook for workplace safety remains bleak.
President Xi Jinping vowed in a speech on Friday to deepen a national safety campaign, saying safety was a basic requirement for people's happiness and health, as well as for national development.
At a conference for "Safe China," a national campaign to ensure civilian and national security, Xi called for more efforts to solve "deep-rooted" safety issues to ensure people's livelihoods, social order and the country's long-term stability.
The sprawling expansion of cities has brought more plants closer to the residential areas, posing safety hazards.
Experts say work safety measures have failed to keep pace with the country's economic growth.
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