11 officials held responsible for China blasts

Beijing, Aug 27: Eleven officials and port executives were accused by Chinese authorities of neglecting management of dangerous chemicals, their storage and transportation at the Tianjin Port, where explosions killed 139 and devastated the port area.

The officials are from various government departments, including Tianjin local transportation management authorities, work safety regulatory agencies, and land resources authorities, reported Xinhua news agency.

They were probed for "dereliction of duty" and "abuse of power", according to a statement from the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Thursday.

The prosecuted officials included Wu Dai, head of Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, and Zheng Qingyue, president of Tianjin Port Holdings Co., Ltd.

Police detained 12 suspects from Tianjin Ruihai International Logistics Co. Ltd, owner of the warehouse - the site of the explosions - that handled dangerous chemicals.

Police said the company and the detainees were suspected of illegally storing dangerous materials. The detainees included board chairman Yu Xuewei, vice board chairman Dong Shexuan and three deputy general managers.

IANS