Workers were chastised by authorities for improper welding, and industrial accidents are widespread in China. According to official media, 38 people were killed and two were injured in a fire at a plant in central China on Tuesday, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.
According to Xinhua, a fire broke out at a facility in Anyang City, Henan Province, on Monday afternoon. According to state media, rescue services first received reports of a fire at Anyang Kaixinda Trading Co., Ltd at 4:22 p.m. (0822 GMT).
“The local fire rescue detachment swiftly rushed forces to the location after getting the alert,” state broadcaster CCTV added.
It went on to say that the fire was put out by 11 p.m. local time.
CCTV footage from the incident showed huge plumes of black smoke rising from the fire, with at least two vehicles positioned to fight the flames.
In addition to the deaths, two people were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the state-run media. According to People’s Daily
Authorities say “criminal suspects” were apprehended in connection with the incident.
According to CCTV, which cited local officials, a preliminary investigation determined that the incident was caused by “electric welding in which personnel broke safety precautions.” Anyang Kaixinda Trading Co. is a wholesale trader that deals in machinery, building materials, non-hazardous chemicals, clothing, and fire-fighting equipment, according to data provider Tianyancha.
Because of lax safety regulations and corruption among those entrusted with enforcing them, industrial accidents are widespread in China. The Anyang City fire came after reports of an explosion at a chemical facility in neighbouring Taiyuan, Shanxi province’s capital, on Monday.
Social media videos showed a fire at the industrial facility blowing dense grey smoke into the sky. Other photographs showed surrounding buildings littered with pieces of glass and terrified residents fleeing the blast.
Personnel were summoned to the location, the fire was doused, and the human toll is unknown,” Dahebao, a neighbouring Henan official newspaper, stated on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, citing officials.
An explosion at a chemical facility in Shanghai killed one person and wounded another in June.
Three different fires raged in separate areas, turning the sky black, at a Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co. factory in the outer Jinshan district, sending dense clouds of smoke over a broad industrial zone. Last year, a gas explosion in Shiyan’s core city killed 25 people and destroyed multiple structures.
In 2015, a massive explosion at a chemical warehouse in northern Tianjin killed 165 people in one of China’s worst-ever industrial tragedies.
In a China plant fire, 36 people were killed and two were wounded.
