Guilty plea in CCTV fatal fireworks blaze
By Echo Wang |
March 24, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN official with China Central Television pleaded guilty for his part in a fatal blaze that gutted a hotel in the national television's new headquarter last year when he stood trial with 20 others yesterday.
The fire was allegedly triggered by an illegal fireworks show. The suspects were charged with causing an accident with dangerous goods at Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court. No media were allowed into the courtroom yesterday.
Xu Wei, the main organizer of the fireworks display and the first defendant in the case, confessed that it was all his idea to throw a 20-minute firework show on February 9, 2009, to celebrate the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival despite regulations that banned unauthorized fireworks in downtown Beijing.
A fire fighter was killed and more than 160 million yuan worth of property were engulfed in the fire, according to Beijing Evening News.
Xu, 50, said he thought it was no big deal to put on a fireworks show. He said he thought it was like having a party with friends and he never imagined the outcome could be so devastating.
Xu's lawyer Gao Zicheng refused to comment on the case. But he had said earlier that Xu could not be found guilty of causing an accident as he had no intention or awareness of the potential risk.
Gao said Xu's only fault was that he failed to obtain a permit from higher authorities.
The fire was allegedly triggered by an illegal fireworks show. The suspects were charged with causing an accident with dangerous goods at Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court. No media were allowed into the courtroom yesterday.
Xu Wei, the main organizer of the fireworks display and the first defendant in the case, confessed that it was all his idea to throw a 20-minute firework show on February 9, 2009, to celebrate the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival despite regulations that banned unauthorized fireworks in downtown Beijing.
A fire fighter was killed and more than 160 million yuan worth of property were engulfed in the fire, according to Beijing Evening News.
Xu, 50, said he thought it was no big deal to put on a fireworks show. He said he thought it was like having a party with friends and he never imagined the outcome could be so devastating.
Xu's lawyer Gao Zicheng refused to comment on the case. But he had said earlier that Xu could not be found guilty of causing an accident as he had no intention or awareness of the potential risk.
Gao said Xu's only fault was that he failed to obtain a permit from higher authorities.
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