Beijing, Aug 15 (IANS): Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday directed authorities to learn "extremely profound" lessons from the massive warehouse explosions in Tianjin city that killed at least 85 people.
Xi said the blasts exposed severe problems in the work safety sector. He also said authorities should keep "people's interest first" in mind to avoid such accidents, reported Xinhua.
The president demanded a better emergency response mechanism and greater implementation of work safety measures.
The repeated emphasis on safety followed the massive explosions on Wednesday night at a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals, killing at least 85 people, including 21 firefighters.
The state council work safety commission on Friday said the blasts revealed a lack of safety awareness among businesses, lax implementation of safety regulations, irregular practices among workers and weak emergency responses to incidents.