Plan made for treating polluted water after chemical plant blast

BEIJING -- Authorities have made a preliminary plan for treating contaminated water at the site of a deadly blast that hit a chemical plant in East China's Jiangsu province Thursday.

A work team sent by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment is guiding environmental response measures at the explosion site, with over 30 experts in environmental monitoring and treatment of water, solid waste and soil supporting the efforts, according to a statement from the ministry.

The work team has demanded local authorities to arrange emergency pools, storage tanks and tank trucks for the storage of polluted water, and put water treating facilities in operation as soon as possible.

All three waterways linking a local river to the industrial park where the plant is located have been dammed up to prevent polluted water from entering the river, according to the ministry.

The explosion happened at about 2:48 pm Thursday following a fire that broke out in a plant owned by Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. Ltd., in a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui county in the city of Yancheng.

The death toll from the explosion stood at 64 as of 7 am Saturday, according to authorities.