Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China risks experiencing a catastrophe like that of Bhopal, this according to some experts who claim that China's economic development has made the country highly vulnerable to environmental risks. The danger that toxic gases might be released into the air from one of its countless plants as it did in Bhopal (India) 20 years ago is high. Should it happen, the number of victims could be in the thousands.

For Sanjiv Pandita, Occupational Safety and Health Officer of the Asia Monitor Resource Center, China's rapid economic growth has weakened its ability to face environmental emergencies. Foreign companies and precarious working conditions, especially in Chinese mines, are the main culprits. "As long as multinational companies behave in a very irresponsible manner, [another Bhopal] could happen".

A rally in Beijing tomorrow to mark Bhopal's 20th anniversary will highlight the lack of adequate safety standards in China's plants.

For some observers, China has all safety laws it needs but "companies were not doing their part".

According to Southern Weekend, the problem is compounded by the fact that factories built on the edges of cities and towns in the 1950s and 1960s are now surrounded by residential areas because of urban sprawl.

Stephen Frost, a researcher with the City University of Hong Kong, said this had created a potential for a disaster because "a lot of plants are old, are using outdated equipment and are close enough to residential," and "a lot of the chemicals they use are lethal."