China shuts down industrial park after blast

NANJING - An industrial park at Xiangshui county, where a deadly blast killed 78 people last month, will be closed for good, local authorities have said.

About 187 people remain hospitalized due to the explosion on March 21 at the Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park, home to a slew of chemical plants. Three employees of Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. have been put under criminal coercive measures for their roles in the accident.

Dai Yuan, Communist Party chief of Yancheng city, ordered the city's chemical sector to rectify practice and adopt high safety standards, while demanding local authorities clean up scattered chemical plants.

The city government ordered staff to prevent the polluted water from flowing into rivers, and ensure that no secondary accidents will occur during the treatment of dangerous chemicals and solid wastes.

Damaged houses at the Chenjiagang township, where the park is situated, will be repaired, authorities said.