A 230-strong group of former tunnellers, who developed silicosis, have won a long-running dispute for compensation after a court in eastern China ruled they were entitled to damages totalling up to US$11M.
The final decision by the Zhejiang High People’s Court overturns an appeal by 10 people, including the owner of the Tunnel Engineering Company, based in Zhejiang’s Taishun county, who said they were not liable.
In its judgement, the court ruled that the 10 should pay the 230 silicosis victims up to a maximum of US$47,000.
The 10 included representatives of the tunnel company, including shareholders Chen Yixiao, Chen Yizhi and Xue Shibiao, subcontractors and the provincial communications department of Liaoning province in north-east China. The tunnellers developed silicosis after building tunnels on the Shenyang-Benxi expressway nine years ago.
