China chemical plant blast toll rises to 64

International Desk: Rescuers pulled a survivor from rubble early on Saturday in the wake of a massive explosion at a pesticide plant in eastern China that flattened buildings, blew out windows more than a mile away and killed at least 64 people.

Officials said more than two dozen people were still missing and hundreds had been injured in Thursday's blast at the Chenjiagang Industrial Park in the city of Yancheng, in Jiangsu province on China's east coast.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but an editorial in the China Daily newspaper speculated it was likely to be identified as "a serious accident caused by human negligence".

The company, Tianjiayi Chemical Co - which produces more than 30 organic chemical compounds, some highly flammable - had been cited and fined for work safety violations in the past, the China Daily had reported.

At the Xiangshui People's Hospital on Saturday morning, the ward corridors were filled with temporary beds for the wounded.

"I was just going to collect my wages when it blew up," said a worker who identified himself as Zuo. His head was covered in bloody gauze.

"I don't even have a home to go to now," he said.

The hospital was relying on dozens of unpaid volunteers.

"No one is thinking about how people will pay their medical bills at the moment - the priority is rescuing them and worrying about fees later," said one volunteer surnamed Jiang, who was sent to help out at the hospital by his employers on Friday.

Public anger over safety standards has grown in China over industrial accidents, ranging from mining disasters to factory fires, that have marred three decades of swift economic growth.

In 2015, 165 people were killed in explosions at a chemical warehouse in the northern city of Tianjin, one of the world's busiest ports, which is not far from the capital, Beijing.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/March 23, 2019/Nasim