Ya'an city in Shaanxi Province launched a comprehensive safety check of all coal mines yesterday, following a coal mine accident that killed 12 miners and injured two others last week.
Official investigators had sought to cover up the deaths in Huangling County and lied in their report to authorities. They were suspended and were under investigation
The city ordered all collieries with hidden safety risks to halt production; operators who refuse to suspend production will face lawsuits. The decree also calls for severely penalizing coal mines that operate illegally, and owners of coal mines where fatal accident occur will be punished, the city said.
Officials participating in safety inspection will also be severely punished under the law if they fail to report accurately or cover up accidents and dangerous conditions.
The decree was issued following the gas blast last Thursday at the Gouxi Coal Mine, which left 12 miners dead and two others injured.
However, the tragedy was covered up for four days as the coal mine management tried to settle it privately by providing 2.54 million yuan (US$306,600) in compensation to the victims' families, according to the local production safety department.
Police have detained five people for covering up the accident. They are the head of the coal mine, He Mingshan, deputy heads in charge of production safety Zong Mingjun and Zhang Fayuan, and two workers in charge of safety procedures.
Three official investigators made a false report and were suspended from their posts pending further investigation. They are coal administration, coal safety and township officials.
(Xinhua)