Two people were sentenced, and 19 officials were disciplined in connection with the explosion in Shenmu city, Shaanxi province, on Nov 20, 2024, China Central Television reported.

A provincial rectification assessment said the blast occurred during commissioning work on a wastewater treatment retrofit project, leaving four people dead and six injured. Several city-level officials were among those punished, while the companies involved were fined and ordered to make corrections, according to the report.

The report said some companies had not fully resolved the problems and still had management deficiencies.

Shenmu authorities and local government departments also submitted written self-criticism reports to higher-level officials. Regulators involved were summoned for talks and told to conduct self-criticism.

Local regulators have since launched a citywide safety inspection campaign that has identified and addressed 35,000 hazards, it added.