CHINA has punished 48 people, including the chairman of Asia's top refiner, for one of the country's worst industrial disasters , according to state news agency Xinhua.
The blast at the eastern oil hub of Qingdao in November was China Petroleum & Chemical Corp's (Sinopec) deadliest - 62 people were killed and 136 hurt.
Among those disciplined by the State Council over the oil pipeline explosion were Fu Chengyu, Sinopec's chairman, and Zhang Xinchao, the mayor of Qingdao.
The explosion at the Dongying-Huangdao II pipeline owned by Sinopec was attributed to pipeline corrosion, irregular work practices and a tangled network of underground pipes, an inspector with China's safety watchdog said on Thursday.
The blast caused economic losses of $123.9-million.