Three put under criminal coercive measures for chemical plant explosion

Three employees of Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. have been put under criminal coercive measures for their roles in a chemical plant blast in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

Aerial photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows the site of an explosion at a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui County of Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province. [Photo: Xinhua]

In China, criminal coercive measures may include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention or arrest.

Local police will strengthen their investigation efforts and vow to hold those responsible accountable, said authorities in the city of Yancheng.

The explosion happened at about 2:48 p.m. on March 21 following a fire that broke out in a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui County. Seventy-eight people were killed in the blast, according to a death toll released on March 25.

As of Tuesday, 187 people are still receiving treatment in hospitals. Among them, two people are in critical conditions.