BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- A specialized work team has recently stressed the urgency of relocating and upgrading dangerous chemical plants in densely populated areas after a deadly blast in a chemical factory in east China last month.

Aerial photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows the site of an explosion at a chemical industrial park in Xiangshui County of Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

Authorities should enhance coordination, improve efficiency, push law enforcement and step up policy moves to steadily move plants out of the populated regions, said Wang Jiangping, vice minister of industry and information technology, who heads the work team for the relocation project.

Wang also called for special attention to safety and environment management during the relocation.

At the meeting on Friday, officials from the provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei, Shandong and Liaoning reported their relocation progress in 2018 and work plans for 2019.

A deadly blast at Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park in Jiangsu killed 78 people and wounded hundreds last month.