Death toll from Qingdao pipeline blast rises to 52, 11 missing(2)

LESSON FROM THE ACCIDENT

On Sunday afternoon, Xi visited some of the injured people and medical staff in the Huangdao branch of the hospital affiliated with the Medical College of Qingdao University. He also offered condolences to the family members of victims who died in the accident.

Xi stressed that a lesson should be drawn and work safety responsibilities should be fulfilled to avoid similar accidents.

The ruptured pipeline in Qingdao was put into use in July 1986. It is the second pipeline linking Dongying City with Huangdao. The pipe measures 711 mm in diameter and runs 248.5 km, with an annual oil transfer capacity of 10 million tons.

Some residents in Huangdao complained they did not know there was an oil pipeline near their residences before the accident. Others claimed that they were not told what had happened when they smelled the oil two hours before the blasts.

There was a concentration of different oil pipelines and dangerous pipes, said Guo Jishan, deputy secretary-general of the Qingdao municipal government. "This time, the explosion of one pipeline affected other nearby pipes. We found the appearance of some other pipelines had changed at the scene."

This accident is an extremely profound lesson, said the official. He told reporters Saturday that relevant departments should have a thorough overhaul of the pipelines to make sure they do not affect each other.

The crude oil on the sea surface at Jiaozhou Bay has been mostly cleared, but thin oil films remain and have been difficult to remove.

Liu Xiankun, an official of the Qingdao Maritime Bureau, said maritime authorities received the accident report several hours after the leak occurred, delaying the best time for clearing operations.

(Updated)