Chinese businessman arrested for negligence after deadly boiler explosion

Feng Yong, director of the Binh Minh Wood Production and Trading Company, was arrested by Dong Nai police on Friday to be investigated for work safety violations.

Authorities accused Feng, as the director and legal representative of the company, of being negligent in the evaluation and management of the boiler during its operation, and not performing quality checks, resulting in the death of six people and injures to several others.

Related to the case, seven Chinese experts at the company have been banned from leaving Vietnam to serve the investigation.

The Binh Minh company has around 200 workers. It has a boiler capable of producing 1,000 kg of vapor an hour.

During its use, the firm discovered technical issues and called the manufacturer of the boiler to come for maintenance on April 30.

However, on May 1, when the firm’s technical officers came in to check and operate the boiler, it exploded, killing six people and injuring five.

Hoang Van Kinh, 46, was among the injured. Metal shrapnel blasted out and impaled his body.

He said the boiler was not operating that morning, meaning there was no steam. About 10 workers climbed on the boiler to check its status when it exploded.

The cause of the explosion was attributed to technical issues. Dong Nai authorities also said that the boiler had not been registered for use.