583 chemical works closed, relocated or corrected in China

The move comes after the deadly industrial explosions last year in the northeastern city of Tianjin

Nearly 600 companies, including 430 hazardous chemical factories, in China have been asked to shut down, relocate or restructure following deadly industrial explosions last year in northeastern Tianjin city in which 173 people, including 104 firefighters, were killed.

There are 85 enterprises on the "red" list. Out of 85 factories, nine have been corrected, 10 have worked out plans for relocation and the remaining 66 have signed a deal with the government to restructure, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The investigation tallied 583 chemical works in the area, including 430 hazardous chemical factories, 89 companies transporting dangerous materials, 61 companies dealing with dangerous cargo at Tianjin Port and 3 firework warehouses.

All 67 enterprises on the "yellow" list and 431 on the "blue" list have passed safety inspections after correction and resumed operations, according to the district administration on work safety.

The administration is also drawing a geographic information map of the chemical works in the area while integrating the Internet, data mining and cloud computing techniques into the daily monitoring and emergency command.

A digital risk map covers surveillance of 309 enterprises and will be expanded to 379 by the year-end, Shan Yuhou, head of the administration, said.

On August 12, two explosions ripped through a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals and residences at Tianjin Port. The blast claimed 173 lives, including 104 firefighters.