Compensation standardized for China bridge collapse victims

ZHENGZHOU - Officials announced Monday that relatives of the victims of an expressway bridge collapse that occurred last Friday in central China's Henan Province will be compensated using a single standard following public complaints about the use of multiple standards.

The relatives will receive the same compensation as regular urban residents in accordance with a judicial interpretation on personal injury compensation issued by the Supreme People's Court, a rescue headquarters spokesman said.

Netizens have alleged that different standards have been used to calculate compensation for the victims.

A truck explosion caused the bridge to collapse Friday morning in Mianchi County in the city of Sanmenxia, killing 10 people and injuring 11 more.

The truck contained about 600 large packages of fireworks.

The specific amount of compensation is still being calculated, the spokesman said.

Under the interpretation, compensation should be calculated based on the victim's estimated income for the 20 years following their death. The figures differ in different areas and at different ages.

The 11 injured are in stable condition.

A probe into the accident is ongoing, government sources said.

Officials also responded to rumors about river pollution caused by the blast.

A small river in Mianchi County had appeared red in color, but no pollution was found in nearby rivers nor in underground water after tests by environmental authorities.

The color might be caused by paint or food, as reports showed that macromolecular dye substances had been detected in the water, said Lu Yanyun, a staff member of the environmental monitoring station in Mianchi.

The color had faded by noon on Sunday.

Only one index, Chemical Oxygen Demand, was found to be above standard levels, which might be caused by alcohol from the vehicles or water flush from fire engines that responded to the accident, while other indexes all met the standard, Lu said.

The monitoring will last for another week to guarantee water security, Lu added.