8973f06599984fc4f73c2489d873259a.jpg (Photo : Chunyun.cn)
At least 47 people were killed and 166 others injured when an oil pipeline in Qingdao, Shandong province, exploded Friday, marking one of China's deadliest industrial accident this year, local authorities report.
The incident took place as workers were repairing the pipeline for oil leaks around 3 am. The underground pipeline caught fire and exploded at 10:30 am. It took firefighters more than two hours to put out the fire that killed 47 people and injured 166 others, including eight who sustained life-threatening injuries and 57 in critical condition.
The pipeline was part of the 176 kilometers of pipeline that links oil depots in Qingdao with Weifang in Shandong province. The pipeline is owned by China Petrochemical Corporation or Sinopec, the largest oil refinery in the country.
Sinopec Chairman Fu Chengyu has apologized to the victims of the explosion, saying he feels greatly grieved to see the huge losses of life and property. He also vowed to immediately determine the cause of the explosion.
The explosion resulted in the pollution of 1,000 square meters of ground as a result of oil leaks. Another 3,000 square meters of sea have also been polluted, authorities report.
The exact cause of the explosion is still being investigated although initial reports revealed that Sinopec ordered the shutdown of the pipeline at around 3:15 am on Friday but oil continued to flow onto the ground. The explosion took place seven hours after.
Authorities have already ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack in the explosion.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission sent a team of medical specialists, including experts on burn treatment, critical care medicine, orthopedics and respiration, to the explosion site on Friday night.
The Qingdao Maritime Safety Administration also used dispersant to clean up oil spills and to contain oil slick from further contaminating the sea water.
