A local court in Qingdao, Shandong Province on Monday sentenced 14 people to jail terms of three to five years for the fatal pipeline explosion in November 2013 which killed 63 people and injured another 156.
Eight former employees of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation were given sentences of three to five years while six people from the local government were sentenced to three to three and a half years behind bars for neglecting their duties, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The State Council report on the accident showed that the blast caused direct economic losses of 751.72 million yuan ($123 million). A lack of responsibility in major hazard inspection and a poor emergency response from both pipeline operator Sinopec and local government departments were blamed for the accident.
Four people were given a two-year reprieve.
