The investigation into the accident was reportedly carried out by a specially formed team which has presented its report to the State Council.
The people involved include the mine owners – Yin San and Wang Quanquan. The former county head of Fanshi has also been arrested on charges of bribe taking, dereliction of duty, and illegally buying and selling explosives along with a further seven people.
According to media reports, Wang Yanping, the county head, was accused of helping the owners obtain permission to operate the mining illegally and was additionally accused of neglecting to protect the scene of the accident and detaining suspects after the accident.
Another 13 officials, including Li Jinsuo, former director of the Shanxi Gold Administration, and Yang Jinsheng, deputy mayor of Xinzhou City, allegedly received disciplinary punishments within the Communist Party of China (CPC) or the government for poor supervisory work and covering up the accident. It is likely that no further punishments or criminal charges were brought against these officials
It was also reported that 11 journalists had accepted bribes in the form of cash and gold ingots from local officials and owners of the illegal mine. It is not known if any proceedings have been taken against the journalists.
19 September 2003