Three Arrested Over Jiangsu Chemical Blast

Police have detained three suspects linked to a chemical plant blast in Jiangsu province which killed 78 people and left hundreds injured, local officials said on Wednesday.

The explosion last month in Yancheng city was one of the worst industrial accidents in the country in recent years.

Three employees from Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical, whose facility was involved in the blast, had "significant responsibility" for the accident, according to a statement on the Yancheng government's official Weibo account.

Officials said the suspects have been subjected to "criminal coercive measures" – a vague term which indicates detention, arrest or being put under house arrest temporarily until police complete their investigations.

Yancheng police declined to offer details on the case.

The blast razed an industrial park and blew out the windows of surrounding homes.

The company, with 195 employees, was established in 2007 and mainly produces raw chemical materials including anisole, a highly flammable compound.

It has a history of violating environmental regulations, according to online records from Yancheng city's environment and ecology bureau. (AFP)