74 die at China coal-fired power station construction site
Published by MAC on 2016-12-03Source: Reuters, Xinhua
Sixteen people face criminal charges
The accident happened last month in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, during work on a cooling tower for the coal-fired Fengcheng Power Plant.
The tower was part of an expansion of the plant, owned by Jiangxi Ganneng, and being built by Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering.
This disaster strikingly mirrors one that occurred in India in late 2009, when at least forty workers plunged to their deaths on a building site, managed by Vedanta, which also employed a Chinese construction firm. (See: The kililng fields of Korba)
Death toll in China power station construction site disaster rises to 74
Reuters - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-collapse-idUSKBN13K06U
Nov 25, 2016
Police took 13 people into custody as the death toll in the collapse of a platform under construction at a power plant in eastern China rose to 74, with two others injured, state media said on Friday.
Deadly accidents are relatively common at industrial sites in China, where anger over lax standards is growing. Three decades of swift economic growth have been marred by incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires.
State news agency Xinhua said 68 of the 74 dead have been identified so far, with victims ranging in age from 23 to 53.
The accident happened on Thursday morning in Fengcheng, in Jiangxi province, during work on a cooling tower for the coal-fired power plant.
The official China Daily newspaper said the accident happened when a tower crane collapsed, triggering the collapse of the entire construction platform as the night shift was being relieved by the morning shift.
"We will conduct a serious investigation into the cause of the accident and hold those who are responsible accountable," Jiangxi vice governor Li Yihuang was quoted as saying.
The company in charge of the plant, Jiangxi Ganneng Co, said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday it was cooperating with authorities.
The China Daily cited a company statement from September as saying it had started a 100-day campaign to speed up construction of the plant and take advantage of days with "fine weather".
Yang Huanning, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, had already arrived on the scene to oversee an investigation into what happened and to collect evidence, the People's Daily said.
His administration held an emergency meeting with departments all over China to learn the lessons of the accident to root out "hidden dangers" and ensure people's safety, the newspaper said.
The official Xinhua news agency reported that police had taken 13 people into custody, but did not give further details.
China has vowed to improve its poor safety record.
President Xi Jinping has said authorities would learn the lessons paid for with blood after chemical blasts in the port city of Tianjin killed more than 170 people last year.
Shortly after those explosions, Yang Dongliang was removed from his post as director of the State Administration of Work Safety and later charged with corruption.
He admitted during his trial on Thursday taking bribes and gifts worth 28.5 million yuan ($4.1 million). He will be sentenced at a later date.
The two Yangs are not related.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Paul Tait)
Nine detained over east China power plant collapse
Mo Hong'e
Xinhua - http://www.ecns.cn/2016/11-28/235583.shtml
28 November, 2016
Nine people are facing criminal charges in connection with a deadly construction site accident in east China's Jiangxi Province, police said Monday.
The platform for a cooling tower of a power plant under construction collapsed in Fengcheng City on Nov. 24, leaving 74 people dead and two injured.
Local police detained nine people suspected of major liability in the accident early on Monday.
Construction on the cooling tower is part of an expansion of the Fengcheng Power Plant owned by Jiangxi Ganneng Co. Ltd. The tower is being built by Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering Co. Ltd.
Among the detained are chairman of Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering Co. Ltd., and chief engineer of the construction project.
Six more detained over east China power plant collapse
Mo Hong'e
Xinhua - http://www.ecns.cn/2016/11-30/235838.shtml
30 November, 2016
A further six people were detained Tuesday for their roles in a deadly construction site accident in eastern China's Jiangxi Province, according to the local rescue headquarters.
The headquarters said among the six people in police custody, four were suspected of "major liability in the accident" and two were suspected of "producing and selling shoddy products."
Further details of the suspects were not provided.
A platform for a cooling tower being constructed as part of a power plant collapsed in Fengcheng city on November 24, leaving 74 people dead.
Construction of the cooling tower was part of an expansion of Fengcheng Power Plant, which is owned by Jiangxi Ganneng. The tower was being built by Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering.
Early Monday, local police detained nine people in connection with the accident. Among the detained are the chairman of Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering, and the chief engineer of the construction project.
Further investigation is underway.