 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Beijing (AFP) July 28, 2010 At least 12 people died and more than 300 were injured by a powerful explosion triggered when a chemical pipeline ignited in eastern China on Wednesday, state media said. Footage broadcast on state television showed a billowing column of flame and a plume of thick black smoke drifting over the city of Nanjing after the blast, which toppled nearby factory buildings. The blast occurred in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, shortly after 10:00 am (0200 GMT) and caused heavy damage to the surrounding area, reports said. Many hospitals had almost exhausted their blood stocks and local residents were rushing to mobile collection vehicles to donate blood, the official Xinhua news agency said. "Many residents have been injured and sent to hospitals, we urgently need a lot of blood," the Jiangsu provincial blood centre appealed on its website. State television said 12 people had died, without saying where the information was obtained from. Xinhua quoted local government officials as saying at least five people had died, but that its reporters had seen six people recorded as dead at nearby hospitals. The explosion reportedly occurred on the grounds of an abandoned plastics factory when a pipeline carrying ethylene was damaged while workers were dismantling buildings. The leaking gas was ignited when a nearby motorist started their car engine, according to the local work safety administration. The blast also blew out windows and caused damage to businesses and residences up to 300 metres away, while people further away fled their buildings, thinking an earthquake had struck. More than 300 people were rushed to local hospitals for treatment, including 52 with serious injuries, the China News Service said. State television put the injured at more than 100, 15 of them seriously. The explosion hit a bus passing through the area, injuring several passengers, Xinhua said. Photos posted on the Internet showed at least one bus that had been completely burnt out, leaving only a charred skeleton. "There are dozens of injured in our hospital. Their situations are not serious, most of them suffered burns," said a doctor at the city's Zhongda hospital, who refused to identify herself. "Nobody has died in our hospital. There are injured people in every big hospital in Nanjing." Xinhua said the fire triggered by the blast had been brought under control. Deadly industrial accidents are routine in China, where basic safety provisions are often ignored. Last week, an oil pipeline exploded in the northeastern port city of Dalian, triggering a spectacular blaze that burned throughout the weekend and spilled about 1,500 tonnes of oil into the Yellow Sea off Liaoning province. The incident was one of China's worst-ever oil spills.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
BP suffers major loss as oil spill costs hit 32.2 bln dlrsLondon (AFP) July 27, 2010 BP said Tuesday it suffered a loss of 16.9 billion dollars in the second quarter in the wake of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which is forecast to cost the company 32.2 billion dollars. The group added in a statement that it will sell 30 billion dollars of assets over the next 18 months, as it streamlines the business, while under-fire boss Tony Hayward will be replaced by Bob Du ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
