Chemical firm allegedly hid info on deadly blast

By Global Times Published: Feb 03, 2019 03:50 PM

Pictured is the blast scene from the Zhangjiakou explosion which killed at least 22 on Wednesday morning. According to a preliminary investigation, the blast occurred when a vehicle carrying dangerous chemicals exploded and ignited nearby vehicles.Photos: Liu Caiyu/GT

A chemical company in North China's Hebei Province allegedly hid information and misled the investigation of a blast that killed 24 and injured 21 in November 2018, local authorities said Sunday.

The Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co. Ltd failed to report relevant information, hid the incident and misled the investigation of the blast, according to the investigation report released on the website of Hebei's Department of Emergency Management on Sunday.

The blast occurred at around 12:40 am on November 28, 2018.

The report said the explosion occurred after a leak of vinyl chloride from the company's facility. The company failed to examine and maintain the facility, which caused the leak, the report said.

Vinyl chloride is a highly flammable, explosive and toxic chemical.

Thirty-eight trucks and 12 vehicles were destroyed in the blast. The explosion caused over 41.48 million yuan ($7.17 million) in damage, said the report.

Public security officials detained 12 company staff, including the firm's Party chief and general-manager, after the incident. Party and government officials from Zhangjiakou, including those from the city's work safety watchdog and public security departments, also received a warning.

The investigating team recommended a 9.49 million yuan fine on the company.

Shenghua is a subsidiary of China National Chemical Cooperation, or Chem China. It has over 1,300 employees.