China sacks senior official over Tianjin blasts

China has sacked a senior official for neglect of duty in the Tianjin warehouse explosions that killed at least 139 people in August, an official statement said today.
Zheng Qingyue, president of state-owned Tianjin Port (Group) Co Ltd, will be removed from his position as director of the Tianjin International Trade and Shipping Centre, the statement said.
Zheng, together with his assistant Li Hongfeng and the deputy chief of the company's safety supervision department, will face criminal prosecution for dereliction of duty, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Government investigations found the port had neglected safety oversight duties and blamed it for poor regulation of Tianjin Ruihai International Logistics Co Ltd where the blasts happened, it said.

Two blasts ripped through a warehouse in Tianjin Port, where large amounts of toxic chemicals were stored, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide on August 1.