At least 40 people have died after a platform collapsed at a power station in the Jiangxi province of China.
China’s news agency, Xinhua, has reported that workers still remain trapped hours after the collapse happened at 7am local time.
A platform in a cooling tower at the power plant, which is still under construction, collapsed with 68 workers on the scaffolding at the time.
The province’s fire service deployed 32 fire trucks and 212 soldiers to assist with the rescue operation and uncover any people who remain trapped.
The media in China has shown photos and videos of workers clearing the iron pipes and debris covering the floor of the cooling tower.
The cooling tower is part of a $1.1bn coal-fired power plant scheduled to be completed in 2018.
Officials have ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the fatal accident.
China has high number of industrial accidents, especially in the mining sector where in the late 1990s deaths numbered up to 20 a day – or 7,300 a year.
Fatality rates in mining have fallen more recently, but are still at about 1,000 a year – or approximately 3 a day.
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The power station accident is China is awful and I am sure everyone’s thoughts go out to the families of those killed, missing and injured. A dreadful incident which I am sure could have been prevented, like all others.
It does raise concerns in my mind if we are to be working with the Chinese to build our new power station at Hinckley Point, how we can ensure that H&S will be greatly improved to ensure that a similar tragedy doesn’t happen here? Every faith in our own designers and engineers but ….how do we get H&S mind-set and practices up to standard with out ‘partners’ ? Our HSE and inspectors will have their work cut out!!