Coal tank blast toll rises to 5

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-27  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE death toll from Wednesday's coal tar tank explosion in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region rose to five, with two people still missing, the regional work safety watchdog said yesterday.

Rescuers found two more bodies yesterday morning at the Fukang Iron Coke Co Ltd, a private company, in Fukang City, said Mao Chuntang, a Xinjiang work safety administration official.

A 2,000-cubic meter tank holding coal tar, a viscous black liquid used in roofing, waterproofing and insulating materials, exploded and caused a fire at 4:02pm on Wednesday. The exact amount of coal tar in the tank at the time of the accident was unclear. Emergency workers were still draining the wreckage as they searched for the missing.

Mao said there were "improper actions by relevant staff" involved in the explosion but the exact cause was still being investigated.

Fukang's safety production license had been revoked and its production halted, according to the official. Its bank accounts were also frozen.

Dozens of firefighters extinguished the blaze about three hours after the incident. Eight other tanks nearby were not affected and had been cooled down.

Local environmental authorities said they had not detected pollution in subterranean water sources or nearby rivers. However, the concentration of some chemicals in the air, such as benzene, toluene and dimethylbenzene, had exceeded standards.