Twenty-four coal mine managers have received prison sentences of up to 11 years after being held accountable for two major flooding accidents last year that killed a total of 151 people.

Zeng Fanjin, former owner of the Daxing Coal Mine in south China's Guangdong Province, and manager of Dajingli Coal Co Ltd, was given an 11-year prison sentence and a fine of one million yuan (US$128,000) for continuing to operate the mine without a production permit.

Zeng Yungao, former chairman of the board, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined five million yuan for his involvement and bribery, according to a verdict by the Xingning City People's Court on Wednesday.

A flood occurred in the Daxing mine on August 7 last year, killing 121 and seriously injuring one.

Sixteen other members of the company also received jail terms ranging from 17 months to seven years with fines for some of them.

In another verdict, six former managers of the Ji'an Coal Mine in Jilin Province received prison sentences ranging from four years to seven years for negligence, the Jiaohe City People's Court reported.

A flood on April 24 last year at the Ji'an Coal Mine left 30 miners dead.

In a separate case, a deputy head of a coal mine, where a gas blast on Sunday killed at least three people, has been taken into police custody after he confessed to having covered up the death of one miner, local police said yesterday.

Peng Qingrui, deputy head of the Songshutan Coal Mine, inspected the mine shaft shortly after the blast occurred and found the bodies of two miners and one miner still alive.

He admitted on Wednesday night that he transported the injured miner to a hospital in neighboring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, police said.

Peng said the miner died on the way to hospital, Jiang Dongwen, a police officer with the Alxa League Public Security Bureau, said.

Officials say a gas explosion occurred around 11:30am on Sunday. Five injured miners escaped from the mine shaft and rescuers brought another miner to the surface later.

Peng just reported the death of two miners but covered up the death of the miner he had transported to Ningxia, police said.

Four miners were still missing and their chances of survival are extremely slim as a fire was burning underground, said Li Xinsheng, who was leading the rescue.