China’s oil pipeline blast toll rises to 55

Beijing – The deaths in an oil pipeline explosion in Qingdao city in China’s Shandong province have climbed to 55, investigators said Monday.

Nine people are still missing and 136 hospitalised due to an oil pipeline blast in east China’s Shandong province, reports Xinhua.

The blast occurred Friday at the crossing between Haihe and Zhaitangdao road in Huangdao district after oil leaked from a Sinopec pipeline into the municipal pipe n! etwork.

The 176-km pipeline, which links oil depots in Huangdao ! to Weifang city, home to a few petrochemical plants, is owned by Sinopec, China’s largest oil refiner.

The pipeline, with a total investment of 1.3 billion yuan ($211.8 million), became operational this August. It has an annual capacity of 15 million tonnes.