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Safety

Blast Kills 16 In China

Accident was not the first to occur at plants that make explosives

by Jean François Tremblay
June 20, 2006

An explosion at a factory making explosives killed 16 people and injured 24 in the city of Maanshan in Anhui province, in eastern China, says a report from the official Xinhua News Agency.

The cause of the June 16 blast is unknown. The bodies of 10 people were identified as plant workers, while the other six were disfigured beyond recognition.

Xinhua reports that police have arrested the president and the general manager of Anhui Dun'an Chemical, the company where the accident occurred. The firm is said to have been producing explosives beyond its designed capacity.

The blast prompted the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) to issue a notice tightening the conditions under which plants producing explosives can operate.

The notice said that such plants must do a better job of physically distancing themselves from nearby communities. Plant managers must also prevent their temporary workers from entering areas where explosives are handled.

The safety agency said China's premier, Wen Jiabao, is taking a personal interest in improving the safety of plants producing explosives. It noted that on April 1, an explosion at a plant making explosives in the city of Zhaoyuan in the eastern province of Shandong killed 30 people.

From now on, SAWS proclaimed, facilities producing explosives will see their business license revoked if they are involved in an accident that kills 20 people or more. And any "serious" incident at an explosives plant will lead to a suspension of operations for at least three months.

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