The State Council in Beijing Wednesday approved the resignation of General Manager Ma Fucai of the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the country's biggest oil company, over the deadly gas blowout on December 23 last year.

"This shows the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council are extremely responsible for people's life and property safety," said Premier Wen Jiabao at a State Council executive meeting Wednesday.

The December 23 gas blowout in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, the country's deadliest recent industrial disaster, left 243 people dead from toxic fumes when a negligent drilling crew broke open a CNPC gas well and dismantled safety equipment that might have stopped the blowout.

Vice General-Manager Ren Chuanjun of CNPC received disciplinary punishment from the State Council and Chen Geng was appointed as new CNPC general manager.

The State Council also asked relevant departments to severely punish those responsible for the blowout as well as for a Lantern Festival stampede in Beijing's suburban Miyun County on February 5, killing 37, and a shopping mall fire in northeast China's Jilin Province that killed 51 people on February 15.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council paid great attention to all three deadly accidents, and sent investigation teams to find out the causes of these accidents, according to the executive meeting.

Loose management and ignoring safety measures caused the accidents, and relevant officials should shoulder the responsibility, according to the meeting. Thirteen persons have been handed over to judicial departments and 55 others received disciplinary penalty so far.

The meeting, underscoring the concept of putting people first, pointed out that all localities, departments and enterprises should draw lessons from these accidents by enhancing work on safe production and public safety.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2004)