Problems highlighted at plant where 120 died
Source: Xinhua |
June 5, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Flammable construction materials and insufficient fire prevention equipment contributed to a plant fire that killed at least 120 people and injured 77 others in northeast China's Jilin Province, a government official said yesterday.
Gao Guangbin, Party chief of Changchun, the provincial capital, also blamed poor design of exits at the poultry processing plant, which made escape difficult.
"All construction materials used to build the workshop were flammable, creating an enormous fire hazard," Gao said.
A leaking ammonia tank at the plant may have been the cause of the fire but investigators are still trying to identify exactly what happened before fire broke out on Monday morning.
Authorities have notified families of the deceased so that they may claim the victims' bodies, Zhao Xian, deputy secretary-general of the Changchun city government, told reporters yesterday. Sixty-seven bodies had been identified, Zhao said.
The Changchun government has ordered checks on public places such as schools, hospitals, entertainment venues and shopping malls to remove fire hazards.
The provincial government has also ordered checks on workplaces including mines and construction sites.
The poultry processing plant owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township is about 100 kilometers northeast of Changchun.
Among the 77 injured victims in hospital, 15 are in a critical condition with serious burns and inhalation injuries.
Psychologists have been sent to counsel the workers. A team arrived at the plant on Monday evening to comfort relatives, according to officials at the scene.
Wang Rulin, secretary of the provincial Party committee, said the government will deal with the aftermath of the accident, in part by forming a working group for each family to provide compensation and counseling and cater to their needs.
Those suspected of being responsible for the accident have been taken into police custody for further inquiries.
Relatives of workers at the plant and journalists from home and abroad were waiting for the latest news outside the plant's gate last night as clear-up operations continued.
Meanwhile, local authorities have begun monitoring the environmental impact of the blaze.
"Monitoring data shows the density of ammonia and volatile organic compounds near the plant area are both within normal standards," said a worker with the Changchun Environmental Monitoring Center. "We have been ordered to stay here on call round the clock," he added. An order had been given at just after midnight on Monday to conduct tests inside the plant.
A journalist who entered the plant area at 9pm on Monday said he smelt a penetrating odor and felt uncomfortable even before entering the collapsed workshop.
A female survivor surnamed Chen said: "I heard two huge bangs when the blast occurred, and dark smoke ripped through the material workshop."
Chen witnessed several employees fall into a pool of water inside the workshop while she struggled 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 recalled.
A 36-year-old male worker surnamed Liu told Xinhua that this was not the first fire to hit the poultry workshop. Three years ago, there was a less serious fire in the building.
Gao Guangbin, Party chief of Changchun, the provincial capital, also blamed poor design of exits at the poultry processing plant, which made escape difficult.
"All construction materials used to build the workshop were flammable, creating an enormous fire hazard," Gao said.
A leaking ammonia tank at the plant may have been the cause of the fire but investigators are still trying to identify exactly what happened before fire broke out on Monday morning.
Authorities have notified families of the deceased so that they may claim the victims' bodies, Zhao Xian, deputy secretary-general of the Changchun city government, told reporters yesterday. Sixty-seven bodies had been identified, Zhao said.
The Changchun government has ordered checks on public places such as schools, hospitals, entertainment venues and shopping malls to remove fire hazards.
The provincial government has also ordered checks on workplaces including mines and construction sites.
The poultry processing plant owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township is about 100 kilometers northeast of Changchun.
Among the 77 injured victims in hospital, 15 are in a critical condition with serious burns and inhalation injuries.
Psychologists have been sent to counsel the workers. A team arrived at the plant on Monday evening to comfort relatives, according to officials at the scene.
Wang Rulin, secretary of the provincial Party committee, said the government will deal with the aftermath of the accident, in part by forming a working group for each family to provide compensation and counseling and cater to their needs.
Those suspected of being responsible for the accident have been taken into police custody for further inquiries.
Relatives of workers at the plant and journalists from home and abroad were waiting for the latest news outside the plant's gate last night as clear-up operations continued.
Meanwhile, local authorities have begun monitoring the environmental impact of the blaze.
"Monitoring data shows the density of ammonia and volatile organic compounds near the plant area are both within normal standards," said a worker with the Changchun Environmental Monitoring Center. "We have been ordered to stay here on call round the clock," he added. An order had been given at just after midnight on Monday to conduct tests inside the plant.
A journalist who entered the plant area at 9pm on Monday said he smelt a penetrating odor and felt uncomfortable even before entering the collapsed workshop.
A female survivor surnamed Chen said: "I heard two huge bangs when the blast occurred, and dark smoke ripped through the material workshop."
Chen witnessed several employees fall into a pool of water inside the workshop while she struggled 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 recalled.
A 36-year-old male worker surnamed Liu told Xinhua that this was not the first fire to hit the poultry workshop. Three years ago, there was a less serious fire in the building.
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