[4] Tianjiayi Chemical had been penalized six times for infractions of pollution and waste management laws,[5] and China Daily reported fines over safety issues.
[6] According to the South China Morning Post, this chemical plant paid bribes to journalists and local officials to avoid negative publicity or face possible closure.
[7] General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping and State Council premier Li Keqiang are "demanding the government to shut down these chemical firms when they do not comply to safety regulations".
[5] Windows were reported to have been blown out up to 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away from the explosion, and houses and other buildings were damaged in the nearby village-level administrative divisions including Hai'an Town (Haianju) (海安社区) and Shadang (沙荡社区).
[4] However, according to the South China Morning Post article entitled "Devastation at blast site after China chemical plant explosion leaves at least 64 dead, 640 injured" discusses the point that the surrounding three rivers were polluted with exceedingly high levels of dichloroethane and dichloromethane, at 2.8x and 8.4x the normal level, according to national water quality standards.
[7] "This chemical plant was flattened, along with the surrounding 16 factories that also have varying degrees of damage" per the South China Morning Post.
[16] A worker at the plant reported the cause was a fire in a natural gas tanker that spread to the benzoyl storage tank,[18] but this has not been confirmed.
At the same time, investigations and criminal charges were filed against 44 enterprises and executives, for illegal storage of dangerous substances, significant violations of labor safety measures, environmental pollution, and forgery of certification documents.
[23] There were reports of censorship following the blast, with news articles and posts on social media discussing the incident removed by officials.