The standing committee of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee convened a meeting Saturday to resolutely implement the instructions of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Premier Li Keqiang to make all-out rescue efforts with a strong sense of responsibility towards the people and implement the requirements on the rescue work made by Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
When the meeting began, all rose and stood in silent tribute to the victims of the deadly blast.
The catastrophic accident at Xiangshui Tianjiayi Chemical Co., Ltd. is of grave consequences, bad impact and painful lessons, according to a statement released after the meeting.
In the wake of the blast, the Party Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to the rescue efforts. General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and other central leaders made important instructions. All relevant departments of the province resolutely implement the requirements of the central government, and under the guidance of the relevant ministries and commissions, they have devoted all efforts to the rescue in a scientific, orderly and effective way, the statement said.
The leaders urged tougher supervision on the production and storage of hazardous chemical substances and strengthened enforcement of safety regulations.
They also ordered a comprehensive check of safety hazards in key sectors including dangerous chemicals, coal mines and road transport and urged solid efforts in preventing major accidents.
Every corner must be searched over and over again for the victims, and every injured person must be rescued, the statement said.
Hazardous chemicals and pollutants must be promptly dealt with, while environmental monitoring on air, soil and drinking water must be strengthened to avoid secondary disasters, according to the statement.
An investigation team of the State Council, China's cabinet, has pledged to leave no stones unturned in the probe.
The team, led by vice emergency management minister Huang Ming, said Saturday at a meeting that authorities will hold all those behind the fatal blast accountable.
Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co, which runs the factory, was set up in 2007. A producer of chemical compounds, such as anisole, m-Phenylenediamine and para-Phenylenediamine, it has 195 workers, according to government files.
Zhang Qinyue, in charge of the company's operation in Xiangshui, was injured in the blast, and factory staff members were under police control, according to a release from the Yancheng government.
Zhang was sentenced to 18 months with a two-year reprieve and fined 300,000 yuan for pollution by a court in the province in 2017, according to China Judgments Online. The company has been punished several times for safety loopholes and violating environmental rules, records show.
It was not the first time Chenjiagang Chemical Park had serious accidents. In late 2007, an explosion ripped through Jiangsu Lianhua Technology Co in the park, killing eight people and wounding dozens. In November 2010, chlorine leaked at another company in the park, Jiangsu Dahe Chlor-alkali Chemistry Co, and poisoned over 30 people nearby, according to media reports.
