Officials held responsible for a gas pipe explosion which
resulted in the deaths of 10 people and a leak requiring the
evacuation of thousands of residents in March have been punished by
the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)?
The March gas well leak in Kaixian County in southwest China's
Chongqing Municipality forced 15,000 people
from their homes.
A gas pipe explosion in January in Renshou County in Sichuan
Province, also in the southwest of the country, left 10 people dead
and 50 injured.
Four bureau directors with the southwest branch of the
corporation have now been disciplined for the incidents according
to the official website of CNPC. A report by China Business
News said the corporation would announce specific details of
the punishments next week.
Tests at 15 environmental monitoring spots around the area of
the gas well leak in March have revealed the content of toxic
substances in the air is now within state-required standards.
Located in Gaoqiao Town of Kaixian County the gas well is in the
vicinity of Luojia No. 16H Gas Well where an explosion killed 243
people in December 2003.
Details of a further incident involving a fire at the premises
of a petroleum company in northwest China's Gansu Province were also released yesterday by
the CNPC. It said four workers were killed and 11 injured in the
fire in late May.?
Punishments will be decided after Gansu provincial government
completes its investigations, sources said.
Nearly 270 officials at CNPC have been handed various
punishments since last year because of accidents.
(China Daily July 13, 2006)