Villagers reassess lives after fatal explosion

'Ticking bombs'

A 63-year-old villager, who gave his name only as Zhang, said he is jealous of his neighbors who have been relocated because their houses lie within a radius of 500 meters from the factories, which is considered the minimum safe distance between the park and residents.

Zhang said: "We feel scared. We also hope to be relocated." He added that the explosion had left cracks in many of the villagers' homes.

Most of the villagers interviewed by China Daily said they were willing to be relocated.

Gu, from Sigang village, worked for Lianhe Tech, another chemical factory at the park, for two months.

He decided to quit after an explosion at the factory killed eight people on Nov 27, 2007. Two of the factory's employees were among the casualties of last week's explosion, while two other explosions occurred at factories owned by Lianhe Tech－a listed company－in other parts of the country in 2011 and 2016.

Gu said: "The chemical factories are ticking bombs. Although so many people lost their lives in last week's explosion, we fear it won't be long until the factories resume operations."

Schools that were closed because of the explosion reopened on Monday.

Wu Yuegui, who lives in Liugang village, about 3 km from the Tianjiayi factory, said he sent his 13-year-old grandson back to school. "If we don't, my grandson will lag behind in his studies," the 63-year-old said, adding that he would like to move to the Xiangshui county seat but he cannot afford an apartment there.

Lou Qinjian, the Jiangsu Party chief, said the province should learn from this "bloody lesson" and "retrospection from the soul".

Jiangsu launched safety inspections on chemical production, transportation and storage facilities after the explosion.

Operations will be suspended once a safety hazard is found. If a company fails to act to end such hazards within a specified time, it will be shut down. Those responsible for rectification work will be held accountable for lives, according to the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Jiangsu Provincial Committee, the province's top leadership.

Ding Yongshu, the Shadang villager, said that without the factories local people would have to find work elsewhere, which would cost more.

"The industrial park is clearly a major driving force of the county's economic development. Both its destiny and my own are uncertain after what happened," he added.