Qingdao continues recovery (4)

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By He Na and Xie Chuanjiao in Qingdao, and Cui Jia and Tang Yue in Beijing (China Daily) 08:39, November 25, 2013

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Another worker, Gao Xuyou, was in the same hospital ward as Li Baoli. "The shockwave was like a strong wind carrying broken glass, bricks and concrete, which hit people working inside the factory too," said the 44-year-old.

Li Ming, 25, who was also working at the factory when the blast occurred, said, "The explosion was far more frightening than any scene in the Hollywood disaster movies I've watched."

He said cars were thrown several meters into the air, before being crushed under concrete paving slabs that had been wrenched from the sidewalks.

Li Ming was working in the part of the factory closest to Zhaitangdao street at the time of the explosion. He only escaped injury because he was standing between two large shipping containers. "They stopped the flying concrete. I don't think I would still be alive if they hadn't been there."

Following the explosion, water, electricity, natural gas and central heating services were suspended in the neighborhood. By Saturday night, however, water and electricity had been resumed in all areas, except for the epicenter of the blast.

Xue Jianzhu, 57, a lifelong Huangdao resident, said he had been unaware of the pipeline until Friday. He said Zhaitangdao street is often heavily congested by traffic, especially during the monthly market day.

"Also, Huangdao No. 2 middle school is not far from there. If the explosion had occurred when the students were on their way to or from school, the consequences could have been unthinkable," he said.

"Why didn't the authorites block the street and evacuate the residents, workers and students, when they clearly knew there was a leak on the pipeline?" asked Xue.