28 sentenced in deadly tower collapse

Twenty-eight defendants and the company involved in a deadly power plant accident in Jiangxi province in 2016 were sentenced on Friday.

On Nov 24, 2016, a platform for the construction of a cooling tower at a power plant collapsed in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, killing 73, injuring two and causing a direct economic loss of about 102 million yuan ($14.4 million).

The accident was particularly serious, according to the verdict issued by the courts, including Yichun Intermediate People's Court and the people's court in Fengcheng city.

The project was owned by Jiangxi Ganneng, which significantly shortened the construction period without evaluation, according to the verdict.

Several staff in charge of quality supervision at Jiangxi Ganneng were also accused of dereliction of duty and abuse of power, it said.

Fengcheng Dingli New Building Materials, which is in charge of construction, violated the contract and changed the concrete mix, eventually leading to the accident. The company was fined 2 million yuan for producing and selling fake products, the verdict said.

The project's construction director Deng Yongchao was sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined 2.2 million yuan for crimes of negligently causing a serious accident, embezzlement, taking bribes and abuse of power.

Fourteen other people, including Zhang Yunping, chairman of the Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering, another company involved in the construction, received sentences ranging from seven years to two years and six months for being liable for the accident.

Others were sentenced for dereliction of duty, abuse of power and corruption.

Sentences were handed out online for defendants unable to attend court due to the need for outbreak prevention and control.

The defendants pleaded guilty, the courts said.