One dead after gas leak in China’s Shanxi

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A coal gas leak in an iron and steel factory claimed one life in Wenshui County, north China’s Shanxi Province.

The incident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. More than 130 villagers are receiving treatment in local hospitals.

Affected villagers receive oxygen inhalers from the local hospital. /CGTN Photo

Villagers say the only casualty was in his sixties, who had stayed alone in his home when the gas leaked. He died in the hospital after an intensive rescue.

Local authorities said 16 victims were diagnosed with gas poisoning, among whom three have been transferred to hospitals in the capital city of Taiyuan as they wished, and 13 others have been receiving proper treatment in the county’s People’s Hospital, including staying in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber twice a day.

Doctors say they are recovering and in stable conditions.

Observing patients in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. /CGTN Photo

Other 123 affected villagers, including children, have gone through medical examinations. Doctors say they had no visible poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, ill feelings or chest congestion. But to ease their anxiety, the hospital has given them oxygen inhalers.

Local government launched an emergency response soon after the incident, stopping the leak in about two hours.

A hole is seen on the pipeline for gas leakage. /CGTN Photo

Sang Shui Ying, the affected village, is home to more than 300 people.

Haiwei Iron and Steel Company where the gas leak occurred is a 30-year-old private firm. It is the biggest of its kind in the county with gas pipelines both underground and above the ground.

Local authorities say the cause of the incident is still under investigation. But Haiwei Iron and Steel Company said a hole broke on one pipeline and caused the leakage.

(Cover: A villager receives treatment in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the local hospital. /CGTN Photo)