Sinopec suspends 2 executives following fatal blasts

The China PetroChemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) announced late Wednesday that it has suspended two company executives following the oil pipeline blast that killed 55 people in the east China city of Qingdao on Friday.

The two executives are Tian Yimin and Qian Jianhua, who were respectively Party secretary, and general manager, of the Sinopec Pipeline Storage and Transportation Company, a subsidiary company of Sinopec.

Sinopec said the two executives, as company leaders, were directly responsible for the fatal explosion, which came after crude oil began leaking from an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec. The two were also asked to help with investigations into the incident.

The company also said that it has started a comprehensive work safety overhaul concerning its pipeline networks for oil and natural gas.

At an internal teleconference held by Sinopec on Wednesday, nearly 4,000 staff workers were required to draw a lesson from the tragedy. They were also required to beef up work to avoid hazards.