China's consul general flies to Fort McMurray
Meets with 120 Chinese workers after fatal accident
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=0166748b-62c8-4...
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
EDMONTON Chinas Calgary-based consul general flew to Fort McMurray Friday to meet with a group of Chinese workers based at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.s Horizon oilsands project in the wake of a workplace accident that left two men dead and four others injured.
Hongliang Liu, from Chinas Shandong province, and Genbao Ge, who lived Henan province, were killed Tuesday in the collapse of the roof structure of a multi-storey metal holding tank under construction about 75 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.
Two of the injured remained in Edmonton hospitals Friday. All six men were in Canada as temporary foreign workers, working for Chinese contractor Sinopec Shanghai Engineering.
Vice-consul Xu Han said that there are about 120 Chinese citizens currently working at the Horizon site. Consul General Xinjian Wu made the trip to Fort McMurray Friday morning.
He had been to Edmonton to visit the two heavily injured workers Thursday afternoon and to pass on the concern and care from both our consul-general, as well as the foreign affairs ministry and the Chinese government in Beijing, Han said.
The consulate is now working to transport the bodies of the two dead men back to China as soon as possible, at the request of the family, Han said. Family members will not be coming to Canada.
CNRL said in a statement that it is deeply saddened by the contractor fatality and would hold a private memorial service Saturday to mark the National Day of Mourning and to recognize the recent loss.
A CNRL spokesman said that Sinopec Shanghai Engineerings workers are covered by Alberta Health Care and Workers Compensation. SSEC also has international insurance.
© Edmonton Journal 2007
