Safety lacking
Horrific accidents occasionally happen on the mainland to make people wonder if there is serious regard for human lives.
In the latest, a massive explosion in a military convoy on Saturday in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang province, killed 60 people and injured 173. While officials have not ruled out terrorism, the circumstances surrounding the blast raised a few basic questions about safety.
Transporting explosive materials is a dangerous undertaking. In developed countries, strict rules govern such an exercise, such as barring transit through densely populated areas - at least not during rush hours. In Hong Kong, for example, when a truck carrying dangerous goods has to go through a tunnel, the tunnel is closed to other traffic to minimise casualties in case of mishap.
Yet, in the Urumqi explosion, the truck concerned was carrying explosives through a suburb on a main road that was clogged with rush-hour traffic in the early evening. Why didn't the convoy use a less busy route? Why was it on the road at that time? Why wasn't the exercise conducted in the small hours when traffic was light?
Had the military authorities considered these questions and made alternative arrangements, casualties would have been much lower, whether or not the explosion was the result of a terrorist attack.
But no one seemed to have considered safety a priority. And that is why more than 200 families are now in grief. An accident on such a scale, wherever it happens, is bound to have political overtones. For it to have happened in Xinjiang, where separatist movements have been active, must deal a particularly strong blow to the local authorities' ability to rally for public support.
