Hunan Province’s Safety Inspection Department announced on February 10, 2002, that 13 officials had received disciplinary actions after they were found responsible for the explosion which killed 11 miners in the Luanyi coal mine last December. Among the 13, three officials from the Anping county level government were sacked: Communist Party Secretary, Deputy Secretary and the Deputy Head of Anping County, Lianyuan City. The other officials received disciplinary warnings. The investigation found that illegal and dangerous operations caused the fatal accident.

The track record of coal mine casualties have retained their high level of about 5,000 deaths annually for the past several years. Official investigations found that 80% of coal mining accidents took place in small mines, the majority of which were operated illegally. The government has been pledging for several years to close down all illegal mines.

(Source: China's news agencies)

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Online: 2002-02-11