Qingdao blast insured property damage estimated at $1.9 mln

Eighteen property insurers handled a total of 220 claims from last month's oil pipeline blasts in the east China city of Qingdao as of Nov 30, with estimated losses of 11.67 million yuan (1.9 million US dollars), sources with the rescue headquarters said Monday.

The claims include 17 from company property losses, estimated at 8.54 million yuan, and 153 from automobile damages estimated at 2.84 million yuan, according to the Qingdao branch of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC).

Meanwhile, 12 insurance companies have dealt with 60 life insurance claim cases.

Shortly after the blasts on Nov. 22 in the Huangdao District, which claimed 55 lives and injured more than 160, insurance companies dispatched nearly 100 workers to the blast site to carry out surveys and investigations and to help rescue efforts.

The companies, under the requirements of the CIRC Qingdao branch, also opened "green channels" to deal with claims and pay insurance money in a timely manner.