Aftermath
American engineers that were still at XSLC were gathered up and tasked with collecting satellite debris that was scattered all around the area after the blast, for it to be shipped back to the US and to prevent the Chinese from collecting sensitive components.[6] It was later determined that encryption devices were not recovered from the crash site.[12] However the satellite was surprisingly intact even after the explosion.[6]
The nature and extent of the damage still remain a subject of dispute. The Chinese government, through its official Xinhua news agency, reported that six people were killed and 57 injured. Western media speculated that between a few dozen and 500 people might have been killed in the crash; "dozens, if not hundreds" of people were seen to gather outside the center's main gate near the crash site the night before launch.[6][8] Western media also backed this claim up with recordings taken after the crash showcasing the nearby village that had almost been completely destroyed by the explosion. A 2003 CCTV documentary on the Chinese space program named "Shaking the Heavens" stated that 7 people died, while a 2012 documentary on the 50 launches of the Long March 3A included a statement made by Liang Xiaohong, the party head of CALT:
"I would like to take this opportunity to lament Comrade Qian Zhiying and Yang Linzhen who died in the line of duty on 15 February 1996,"
This was the first time the name of the dead were revealed.[8]
The state-run Xinhua News Agency published a newsflash on the 15th of February 1996, stating;[8]
"At 3:01 today, our country's newly developed Long March 3B carrier rocket failed to launch the Intelsat 708 communication satellite in Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It was the maiden flight of this launch vehicle. The parties concerned are investigating this accident."
Approximately 80 houses were destroyed in Mayelin Village, with Bruce Campbell stating that "Every house for several hundred meters was leveled".[11][8][6] This has been attributed to the houses in Mayelin being built out of poor materials.
Some eyewitnesses were noted as having seen dozens of ambulances and many flatbed trucks, loaded with what could have been human remains, being taken to the local hospital. However the trucks may have actually been loaded with documents from the Coordination Building.[8][6]
Bruce Campbell of Astrotech and other American eyewitnesses in Xichang reported that the official death toll only reflected those in the military who were caught by the disaster and not the civilian population. However, Chen Lan writing in The Space Review later said the total population of the village was under 1000, and that most if not all of the population had been evacuated before launch as had been common practice since the 1980s, making it "very unlikely" that there were hundreds of deaths.[11]
On the 2nd of March 1996, Xinhua News Agency published more details on the failure;[8]
"According to analysis and interpretation of telemetry data, it is considered that the accident was caused by changes of inertial baseline after lift-off. The particular cause is to be further analyzed and verified… At 3:01 on 15 February, our country's newly developed Long March 3B carrier rocket lifted off. Anomaly in flight attitude appeared about two seconds later. The rocket pitched down and went right off the flight path. About 22 seconds later, the rocket crashed with nose down and exploded violently. Both the rocket and the satellite were lost. There were no large debris on the site… Up to today, 49 of 57 wounded have been cured and discharged from hospital and 8 are still in hospital. Arrangement has been made for the 6 dead. Checkout and testing shows that launch and testing capability of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center was not affected… It is able to resume normal operation at beginning of March. More than 80 local houses nearby the launch center were damaged. The launch center and the local government provided temporary housing and relief fund to the victims… Except for short time pollution at the explosion site and in air, water source, plant and food were not polluted… China Great Wall has informed all customers and the international insurance industry progress of the investigation. On 28 February, Intelsat was invited to participate in the investigation."
Suspicions emerged in the West when on 23/24 March 1996, Channel 2 broadcast a recording of the aftermath of the disaster, recorded by an Israeli engineer present at the launch center.[8][13][14] The recording showcased severe damage to the residential area of XSLC and Mayelin Village.[13][14] The Chinese government later denied the presence of an Israeli on-site during the launch of Intelsat-708.[8] After the tape was aired, China allegedly revised the casualty number to 56, however nowadays Chinese officials still state that there were only 6 casualties.[15]
The village of Mayelin that used to border the launch center was still present near the launch center in 1997, however after 1997 it was demolished, with its inhabitants being relocated to other settlements nearby for their safety.[6]
