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Cause of Explosion in Guangdong Determined
A fatal explosion, which took place on March 18 at a Taiwan-funded plastic plant in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, was caused by workers using No. 120 solvent oil, a kind of flammable liquid detergent, to clean molding machines and the floor of the molding workshop in violation of relevant rules.
This conclusion was reached by local fire fighting and public security officers based on inspections of the site and thorough investigations, said local sources.
Investigations show that on the morning of March 18, Ma Yuliang, an official in charge of personnel at the Zhengdian Plastic Plant, organized about 30 workers to use the flammable liquid detergent to clean the molding machines and the floor of the molding workshop despite warnings from Huang Renhong, a leading worker from the plant's plastics section.
Ma went ahead with the cleaning though he ordered that the power be cut inside the workshop. However, gas emanating from the solvent oil mixed with air and the concentration quickly reached explosive levels. Eventually the explosion was triggered by a spark of static electricity in the workshop, the investigations found.
One worker was killed instantly in the explosion, and another 27 were injured, including 22 seriously injured. One seriously injured female worker died the day after the accident. All the surviving injured workers are now receiving medical treatment at local hospitals.
The police are now pursuing Ma Yuliang, who went into hiding after the explosion.
Dongguan, a boom town famous for its export-oriented processing trade, is home to 13,000 overseas-financed businesses, with investors from more than 20 countries and regions.
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