Chemical plant hid truth, misled probe after deadly blast: Report

The chemical company responsible for the blast that claimed the life of 24 people in Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei province, last year had failed to accurately report the incident to relevant authorities and misled the investigation, an official investigation report said on Sunday.

On Nov 28, a chemical storage facility owned by the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina), was leaking highly flammable vinyl chloride gas. The gas later exploded at around 12:40 am, triggering a chain of explosions and waves of flames that engulfed 38 trucks and 12 other smaller vehicles around the plant.

The incident also injured 21 people and caused more than 41.5 million yuan ($6.12 million) in direct economic damage as of December, though the final extent of economic damage is still being evaluated, according to the report released by the provincial emergency management department.

After the incident, the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry failed to report the situation according to guidelines, concealed the truth, and misled the inquiry, the report said. As a result, the company's production license has been revoked, and is being fined 9.49 million yuan for failing to meet safety production regulations and obstructing the investigation.

The cause of the incident was a combination of sloppy management, poor maintenance and mishandling of the emergency, the report concluded. Forty people, including executives from Shenghua and ChemChina, as well as local officials from Zhangjiakou, were held accountable and punished accordingly, it said.