China moves 10 chemical plants after explosion review

Beijing: Authorities in the Chinese city of Tianjin are moving 10 chemical plants found to be too close to residential areas, six months after a devastating chemical accident killed 173 people.

State media reports said the Work Safety Bureau of Tianjin's Binhai New Area reviewed 583 chemical firms and found problems at 85. The area suffered one of China's worst industrial accidents in August when a warehouse storing combustible chemicals exploded less than 1 kilometer away from apartments - the legally required distance.

The head of the bureau's news office, who gave his name as Shi, said on Monday that the 10 plants were close to residential areas, though he didn't specify if they were within 1 kilometer. He said the other 75 were not near residential areas.