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Tianjin blast: 11 government and port officials suspected of negligence Tianjin blast: 11 government and port officials suspected of negligence
(about 1 hour later)
China says 11 Tianjin government and port officials are suspected of negligence in connection to explosions that killed 139 people. China says 11 Tianjin government and port officials are suspected of negligence in connection to the massive explosions that killed 139 people.
Police have also criminally detained 12 executives from Ruihai International Logistics, some of whom were already held by police. It remains unclear whether they have been taken into custody.
The 12 August blasts, caused by hazardous materials stored in a Ruihai warehouse, devastated part of the port. Police have also detained 12 executives from Ruihai International Logistics and another company.
They also sparked concerns about the storage of dangerous chemicals. The 12 August blasts, caused by hazardous materials in a Ruihai warehouse, sent a huge fireball in the sky and destroyed hundreds of homes.
In a statement released through Xinhua news agency, prosecutors said 11 government and port officials were accused of negligence in the storage and transportation of of dangerous chemicals. The explosions also sparked concerns about the storage of dangerous chemicals and zoning requirements. At least three residential complexes were found to have been built within a 1km-radius of the warehouse, which flouted Chinese law.
The officials include the head of Tianjin's transportation commission Wu Dai, and the chief of Tianjin's port Zheng Qingyue. 'Illegal activity'
Among those criminally detained by police are Ruihai's chairman Yu Xuewei and vice-chairman Dong Shexuan. The 11 officials include the head of Tianjin's transportation commission Wu Dai, and Zheng Qingyue, the boss of Tianjin's port operator, a statement released through Xinhua news agency said.
Authorities said they were suspected of illegal storage of dangerous materials. Prosecutors said they were accused of approving Ruihai to build its hazardous chemical warehouse in that location, despite knowing that it was against safety rules on minimum distances.
The officials had also given approval or helped Ruihai pass safety checks despite the fact that it "lacked qualifications" and "did not meet safety standards", the statement said, and failed to detect and take measures against Ruihai's "illegal activities involving hazardous goods" and "safety risks".
Ruihai arrests
Prosecutors also named all 12 executives who had been detained, mostly from Ruihai.
Among them is the company chairman Yu Xuewei and vice-chairman Dong Shexuan, as well as managers from the safety, finance, and operations departments.
Zeng Fanqiang, a safety evaluator from the Tianjin Binhai Haisheng company which does safety checks, was also detained.
The statement said the 12 executives are suspected of "being heavily responsible for the incident and of illegally storing hazardous chemicals".
The BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing says the owners of the logistics company are thought to have used personal connections to illegally obtain licenses that allowed them to store hazardous chemicals close to a residential area.