东营化工厂爆炸善后处理受到批评
Details of an explosion that destroyed an adhesives plant in eastern China, including a mounting death toll, are only slowly emerging despite pledges for greater transparency made in the wake of last month’s Tianjin disaster.
中国东部发生重创一家粘合剂厂的爆炸后，事件细节，包括越来越多的遇难人数，只是缓慢浮出水面，尽管官方在上月天津发生灾难后承诺要提高透明度。
The local government of Dongying in Shandong province has gradually raised the number killed to 13 after an initial assessment of one when a single blast destroyed the Binyuan Chemicals plant on August 31. “The bodies were blown to pieces, making the investigation difficult,” it said in an explanation that was deleted from the Dongying government website after being picked up by Chinese media.
8月31日发生的一次爆炸摧毁滨源化工厂后，山东省东营市政府把遇难人数从初步评估的1人逐渐上调至13人。“部分死亡人员遗体爆炸时形成碎片，查找比对工作较为困难，”东营市政府的这一最初解释在被中国媒体引用后，已从其官网删除。
The explosion comes less than a month after the Tianjin blast killed at least 162 people and destroyed thousands of apartments, unsold cars and other facilities. Insurance claims could reach $3.3bn, making it one of Asia’s most expensive man-made disasters for insurers, according to risk and reinsurance specialists Guy Carpenter.
此次爆炸不到一个月前，天津发生的爆炸至少导致162人死亡，摧毁数以千计的公寓、未售出的汽车和其他设施。风险和再保险领域的专家——佳达公司(Guy Carpenter)表示，保险索赔总额可能达到33亿美元，使其成为亚洲发生的对保险公司而言代价最高的人为灾难之一。
Despite the high profile of the Tianjin explosions — mobile phone videos of the blasts went viral worldwide on social media and journalists flocked from Beijing — and the fact dozens of firefighters did not return that night, the city government took days to raise the casualty count.
尽管天津的爆炸令人瞩目（爆炸画面的手机视频在全球社交媒体上广为传播，大批记者从北京赶赴天津），而且有数十名消防员在第一线遇难的事实，但该市政府在上调死伤人数之前拖延了好几天。
Similarities in the two cases, including accusations that explosive chemicals were improperly stored, may explain Dongying authorities’ desire to avoid scrutiny over the accident. It also occurred shortly before a Beijing military parade to mark the end of the second world war. Chinese authorities are usually under orders to play down any incidents that might mar such an event.
两起事件的相似之处，包括有关易燃易爆化学品储存不当的指控，也许能够解释东营当地政府希望避免受到关注的心理。这起事件还发生在北京举行阅兵式纪念二战结束70周年前夕。中国地方当局通常会接到命令，要求他们低调处理可能给此类盛大活动蒙上阴影的事件。
Local authorities initially attributed the blast to the explosion of a benzene tank stored too close to the factory.
地方当局最初将此次爆炸归咎于一个太靠近工厂的苯罐发生爆炸。
“Because the materials they produce are highly flammable, it’s very likely that fire first broke out in the storage house,” said a Chinese oil industry analyst who declined to be identified due to the potential sensitivity of the case. “But we noticed that the benzene tank was not mentioned in lots of state media reports, and I know why that is. Benzene is highly poisonous, and it will affect water and air nearby. 500 cubic meters is not a small amount.”
“因为他们生产的材料是高度易燃的，所以那场大火很可能首先在仓库燃起，”一名中国石油业分析师（因本案的潜在敏感性而不愿透露姓名）表示。“但我们发现，很多官方媒体的报道没有提到那个苯罐，而我知道这是为什么。苯是剧毒材料，会影响到附近的水和空气。500立方米不是一个小数目。”
The Lijin government attracted criticism from state media over its weekend statement, which said that some of the dead had been cremated and that “the emotions of their relatives are stable”.
利津县政府周末发布的通告招致官方媒体批评，这份通告称，一些遇难者已被火化，而“遇难者亲属情绪稳定”。
“How can emotions be stable when bodies are blown to pieces?” Xinhua asked, in an article on its mobile platform that was also subsequently deleted.
新华社发布的微博质疑道：部分遗体被炸碎，通报还强调亲属情绪稳定？这篇博文后来被删除。
The city of Dongying, at the mouth of the Yellow River, is dominated by Sinopec, the nation’s second-largest state-owned oil company, which operates the Shengli oilfield there. In recent years, as output from the field has declined, the local government has set up petrochemical complexes to attract downstream investors.
地处黄河口的东营市，在经济上受中国第二大国有石油公司中石化(Sinopec)主导，中石化是位于当地的胜利油田的作业方。近年随着该油田产量下降，当地政府启动了石化厂项目以吸引下游投资者。
Binyuan Chemicals is owned by a local chemicals entrepreneur, Li Peixiang. He also owns Dongying Luyuan Sci-Tech and Trade Co, which makes and trades chemicals used in fracking and oil drilling, a Financial Times search of online records shows. Dongying Luyuan is a shareholder in at least one company that is a services contractor to Sinopec and is a supplier to both Sinopec and state-owned PetroChina, according to information it posted online.
山东滨源化学有限公司的老板是当地化工企业家李培祥。英国《金融时报》对在线记录的搜索发现，他还拥有东营鲁源科工贸公司，该公司从事水力压裂和石油钻井所用化学品的生产和贸易。根据其在网上贴出的信息，东营鲁源是至少一家中石化服务承包商的股东，而且是中石化和国有的中石油(PetroChina)两家的供应商。
Sinopec said it had no stake in the company. Binyuan and Luyuan declined to comment.
中石化表示，其在该公司没有股份。滨源和鲁源公司拒绝发表评论。
