11 government and port officials have been accused by the Chinese government of negligence in relation to the blast which obliterated Tianjin Port on August 12, 2015, according to the BBC.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown, although it is believed that the blast took place as a result of an explosion originating from a shipment of explosives that mysteriously detonated.
The officials linked to the blast have been taken into custody on suspicion of setting up a hazardous chemical warehouse, with the help of the officials who passed safety checks, without any guarantee that the area was safe.
The site was said to have broken all safety regulations, despite plans to erect the new warehouse at the port, presumably as a result of those suspected prioritising profits over safety.
Some officials have been named, and include Ruihai Logistics’ Chairman, Yu Xuewei, and Vice-Chairman Dong Shexuan, as well as various finance, safety and operations managers.
So far 139 people have been killed in the blast, with several hundred injured. The cost to insure the incident is well over a billion dollars.
