A lunchtime gas explosion at a Sinopec-owned cafeteria in southern China has killed one employee and injured 24 others, in the second fatal accident in four months for China’s state oil company.
Monday’s accident comes only a few months after Sinopec workers attempting to repair a leaking crude oil pipeline in Qingdao, northeast China, ignited gas and oil that had flowed into storm sewers, blowing up three city streets and killing 62 people, including the repair crew.
The Qingdao explosion turned the spotlight on safety procedures at the giant oil companies, which have long enjoyed a cosy relationship with government officials and a monopoly over oil and gas supply and transport.