15 people detained over Zhangjiakou blast

The probe into a blast on Wednesday that killed 23 people in Zhangjiakou of Hebei province led to the detention of 15 people of a chemical company.

The blast was caused by a leak of chloroethylene from the Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday.

An investigation team supervised by the ministry found a gasometer containing chloroethylene belonging to the company had a leak, and the out chloroethylene, which diffused to the road outside the company, caused the blast when it met with flame on the road.

The government of Hebei will dig into the specific causes of the leak, the ministry said, adding the ministry will supervise the investigation directly.

The blast, which engulfed 38 trucks and 12 cars on a roadside by chemical companies in Zhangjiakou’s Qiaodong district, happened at 12:41 am on Wednesday, killing 23 people and injuring 22.