Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 6, 1993 TAG: 9308060108
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: BEIJING LENGTH: Medium
The explosions, shattering windows for miles around, occurred just across the border in China from Hong Kong, in the Shenzhen "special economic zone." Shenzhen is the centerpiece of China's economic liberalization program and one of the richest cities in the nation.
The blasts are likely to raise new questions about industrial safety in China, particularly as a nuclear power plant is to go on line soon in Daya Bay, not far from Shenzhen. Many Hong Kong residents have been nervous about China's operating a nuclear plant so close to them, and the explosions on Thursday may add to the anxieties.
The first explosion was set off by a leak of nitric acid from a warehouse for hazardous materials. The fire from that blast then ignited a natural gas plant, and by evening eight of the 10 warehouses in the area had exploded in succession, the official New China News Agency reported.
It is not clear what goods were being stored in the first warehouse, or precisely what ignited them, and there was no indication of sabotage.
The agency did not give a precise death toll, saying only that more than 100 people had been killed or injured. Another China-controlled news service, the Hong Kong China News Agency, said that one hospital had admitted 200 injured people and that the number of dead could reach 70.
Many of the dead were firefighters, police officers and medical workers who had rushed to the scene after the first explosion.
Official reports said the first blast had occurred at a warehouse operated by the Anmao Dangerous Goods Shipping and Storage Co., apparently an army-owned enterprise. The army has a wide range of profit-making companies engaged in such diverse things as tourism and clock manufacturing.
As in most developing countries, safety standards are relatively lax in China, and the local authorities are sometimes willing to excuse problems in army-owned companies. But the government has tried to raise consciousness about safety in recent years and has initiated campaigns to improve industrial safety.
Shenzhen abounds in small factories, mostly producing toys, clothing and electronic goods for export to the United States and other destinations through the port of Hong Kong.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB