13 people to face trial for responsibility in Fujian PX factory explosion

Thirteen people, including a senior executive of the factory operator, will face prosecution for their responsibility in the massive explosion in a paraxylene (PX) factory in East China's Fujian Province in April, Fujian authorities announced Sunday.

The explosion caused by a fire at the chemical plant in Zhangzhou City in Fujian injured six people and caused economic losses of about 95 million yuan ($15 million).

A team of eight experts established by the provincial government to investigate the reasons behind the incident ruled that the blast was caused by problematic practices of the factory owner Tenglong Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Zhangzhou) Co, including violation of regulations on the factory's production, and insufficient supervision on the factory's construction and operational safety.

Huang Yaozhi, chairman of Tenglong, is among the 13 people to be prosecuted.

Another 11 people, including Zhangzhou City's Vice Mayor Liang Weixin, will be punished according to Party and government regulations.

Guo Yi, general manager of Tenglong, is among the nine people to be sacked or demoted from their current positions.

The plant's development involved a total investment of 13.8 billion yuan and it has a production capacity of 800,000 tons of PX products annually, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The explosion in April was reportedly the second explosion at the plant since July 2013 when a pipeline cracked during a pressure test. No injuries were reported following the explosion in 2013.

The plant was shut down by the Ministry of Environmental Protectionin January 2013 due to violations of environmental law, but production restarted in June 2013.

The plant was relocated from Xiamen, also in Fujian, in 2013 after locals rallied against in May 2007.