Chinese city shuts down chemical plant after explosion that killed 78 people
- Authorities in Yancheng city act after country’s deadliest industrial accident in four years
- Decision follows action by Jiangsu provincial government to reduce number of chemical plants
The local government in Yancheng city in eastern China has decided to close down the ruined chemical plant where an explosion killed 78 people last month.
The March 21 blast at the site owned by the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Company was the deadliest industrial accident in China since the 2015 Tianjin port warehouse explosion that killed 173.
The decision follows a pledge by Jiangsu’s provincial government on Monday to slash the number of chemical production enterprises from 5,433 in 2017 to under 1,000 by 2022, as part of an ambitious plan to overhaul the local chemical manufacturing industry in the wake of the scandal.
Doing so will involve reducing the number of industrial estates that house chemical plants in the province from 50 to 20.
The authorities in Yancheng said the plant was being closed to improve the living conditions of local villagers, whose houses, along with neighbouring factories, were reduced to rubble by the force of the blast.
