A gas explosion in a highway tunnel in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality in late March was caused by serious safety violations, including the prolonged shutdown of ventilation equipment and the unauthorized resumption of construction despite excessive gas concentrations, according to an investigation report released on Friday, Xinhua News Agency has reported.
The explosion happened at around 3 pm on March 30 at the left bore of the entrance section of the Tiefengshan Tunnel, which is part of the Wanzhou-Kaijiang section of the Enshi-Guangyuan national-level expressway in Wanzhou district.
The accident killed five people, injured 10 others, and caused direct economic losses of approximately 17.92 million yuan ($2.68 million).
The investigation identified four major issues that contributed to the accident, including a serious lack of safety management and long-standing major safety hazards at the company involved, as well as the contractor's disregard for regulatory orders and the unauthorized resumption of high-risk operations.
The investigation team recommended criminal proceedings be brought against four individuals identified as being directly responsible for the accident, including a project safety officer surnamed Han and an executive deputy project manager surnamed Li. Their alleged offenses include causing a major work-safety accident and organizing others to engage in dangerous operations in violation of safety regulations.
During the investigation, authorities also identified a suspected dereliction of duty involving officials from the Wanzhou district and Chongqing municipal transportation authorities.
