A series of failures, including poor maintenance, design and oversight, have been blamed for a deadly explosion at an industrial plant in Baotou in China’s Inner Mongolia region earlier this year.
In an official report released on Sunday, the Inner Mongolian emergency management department said the blast at the Baotou Steel Group’s plant that killed 10 people and injured 84 was the result of a leak caused by corrosion on the inner wall of a steam storage pressure vessel.
Debris from the blast was scattered over a 5km (3-mile) radius and disrupted local rail services after falling on the tracks, according to Shanghai-based news outlet ThePaper.cn.
“The accident exposed deficiencies and manufacturing defects in the vessel’s design, inadequate daily maintenance at the plant, chaotic safety management and improper on-site emergency response,” the report said.
It also criticised authorities in the city of Baotou and Kundulun district for failing to carry out their regulatory duties properly and recommended disciplinary action against 62 people, including local officials.
The report said prosecutors in Kundulun had approved the arrest of seven employees from the plant and recommended that the judicial authorities carry out further investigations into six other people.
It also said Baotou Steel Group and other firms involved in the project had been penalised, while the local authorities had submitted a written self-criticism to higher levels of government.