China: 14 Sentenced Over Deadly Oil Pipeline Blast

A Chinese court has sentenced 14 former officials from the local government and state-owned energy firm Sinopec in relation to a pipeline explosion that killed 63 people two years ago.



Among the accused, eight from Asia's largest crude oil refiner received three- to five-year prison terms for breaking work safety rules, state news agency Xinhua reported.



The people's court of Huangdao district, in eastern Shandong province, also handed three-year to three-and-a-half year sentences to six former local government officials for dereliction of duty.



In addition to the fatalities, the November 2013 explosion injured 136 people, to whom Sinopec pledged to pay $124 million in compensation.



The blast at the Dongying-Huangdao II pipeline also led to a financial loss of 751.72 million yuan (around $123 million).



A special investigative group established by the State Council found that the reasons behind the blast included "enterprise safety responsibility not being implemented, incomplete governance, inappropriate on-site emergency response measures and the relevant government departments not performing their duties". - Ankara