Seven detained over Quanzhou chemical leak

Seven people believed to be responsible for the chemical leak on Nov 4 in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, have been detained by police for alleged negligence causing a serious accident, the local government said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Three people are from the Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Industry, the company responsible for the leak, and four others are workers at the Tiantong No 1 oil tanker, the vehicle transporting the petrochemicals.

The leak is classified as a manufacturing safety incident, which directly polluted about 0.6 square kilometers of water, and 20 hectares of aquaculture farms owned by 152 fishing families, it said.

Fifty-three people were sent to the hospital and 11 required hospitalization. As of 5 pm on Wednesday, only two people were still hospitalized.

The incident occurred when a hose from an oil tanker owned by Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Industry ruptured when it was offloading petrochemicals consisting mostly of hydrocarbon solvent at a wharf in Quanzhou's Quangang district at 1:13 am on Nov 4.

Hydrocarbon solvents are oily, pungent chemical compounds typically derived from the oil refining process. The toxicity is similar to gasoline, and can cause irritation if exposed to human skin, eyes or respiratory tracts.