China prosecutes port chief over Tianjin blasts

China today removed the general director of Tianjin Port Group and is preparing to prosecute him for negligence, leading to an explosion that killed 160 people.

General Director of Tianjin Port Group Zheng Qingyao. Photo: SCMP

People cited information on the Tianjin government website saying that General Director Zheng Qingyao, his assistant Li Hongfeng, and deputy head of the safety supervision department of the group Zheng Shuguo are currently under investigation and face criminal prosecution for negligence.

Tianjin Port Group has been accused of negligence in its supervision. Tianjin Port has blamed Ruihai Shipping Company, the company whose warehouse is located in Tianjin Port and where the explosion occurred, for operating illegally and violating safety regulations by storing dangerous chemicals on the prohibited storage list.

Tianjin is the world’s 10th busiest port, located not far from Beijing. The August 12 explosion killed more than 160 people, injured more than 700, left 60 missing and forced thousands to evacuate.

Officials confirmed that the warehouse that exploded stored more than 700 tons of sodium cyanide, which can be deadly. Days after the explosion, a fire was still burning there.

According to VNE