23 punished for company fire that killed 19

A total of 23 people will be punished for a fire incident at a company that killed 19 and injured three last year in Ninghai county, East China's Zhejiang province, according to the provincial government.

It said two will bear criminal responsibilities, while the rest will be punished according to Party and government discipline. Details of the people in question were not disclosed.

The fire happened at Ningbo Ruiqi Daily Necessities Co Ltd on Sept 29. It was caused by some flammable vapor which caught fire from electrostatic discharge when an employee of the company poured a heated chemical mixture into a plastic bucket, an investigation report said.

The fire, spreading to an area of 1,100 square meters, has caused direct economic loss of more than 20 million yuan ($2.8 million), the report said.

It also said the company didn't perform its duties for safe production and related local government organs didn't perform their supervision responsibilities well.