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10 blamed for Xi'an subway collapse
By Wang Yu (China Daily Shaanxi Bureau)
Updated: 2009-08-12 17:53

The cause of the August 2 Xi’an subway collapse has been determined with 10 people found accountable for the deaths of two people in the collapse.

An investigation panel into the incident found the tragedy was the result of a lack of protective measures taken out during construction of the foundation and inefficient supervision. Continuous rainfall and poor natural geological conditions accelerated the collapse, according to the panel.

The collapse took place at the Sajinqiao subway station, which was still under construction, on August 2. Two workers, who had been buried under dirt for three hours later died in hospital.

China Railway No 2 Engineering Group and the Beijing Railway Supervision Corporation are being held responsible for the accident. Both have been disqualified in bidding for the construction of the Xi’an subway for two years.

Ten people, including engineer Wu Dong and security official Zhang Mingli from the Xi'an subway project department of China Railway, were dismissed and had their professional credentials revoked.

Chief security official Zhong Jiajian, who was also dismissed, will face relevant legal obligations for the incident.