Plant blast case brings citations

BEIJING, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A senior China National Petroleum Corp. executive and some Chinese environmental officials are among those cited for a deadly plant explosion last year.

The explosion in the nitrobenzene fractionating tower of a chemical plant in northeast China's Jilin branch killed eight people, injured 60 others and caused damage of about $8.74 million, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The report said the incident also caused severe pollution in the Songhua River, leading to the resignation of Chinese environmental head Xie Zhenhua.

The State Council slapped Duan Wende, deputy general manager of the state-owned CNPC and senior vice president of PetroChina, with a "demerit" on his personal record, the report said. Nine other company executives received disciplinary actions ranging from serious warnings to demotions and dismissal. Among government officials, the director of the Jilin provincial environmental protection department received a "serious demerit" on his record.

The State Council said the explosion occurred because the operator failed to observe operating rules.