Fujian plant blast blamed on poor equipment

Firefighters battle a blaze following an explosion at a plant producing paraxylene - a chemical commonly known as PX - in Zhangzhou, east China's Fujian province on April 8, 2015. - AFP

Beijing: Blast at a manufacturer of paraxylene in Fujian province earlier this month was caused by the poor quality of the chemical plant’s equipment and has been determined as an accident due to negligence, said spokesman of the State Administration of Work Safety at a press conference in Beijing.

The PX plant’s people in charge “put benefit before work safety” and chose the bidder that offered the lowest cost of building of the equipment, said Huang Yi, the spokesman, at the press conference held in the State Council Information Office.