China's cabinet approves penalties in major work accidents

Thirty-one people received inner party disciplinary punishment or administrative punishment. Chen Gong, head of the Jinan Railway Bureau, was dismissed. Chai Tiemin, then the Party chief of the bureau, was dismissed. Hu Yadong, vice minister of the Railway Ministry, had a serious demerit entered on his record. Liu Zhijun, railway minister, had a demerit entered on his record.

COAL MINE BLAST, SHANXI PROVINCE, 2008

On June 13, 2008, an explosion occurred in a colliery of the Anxin Coal Mining Co. Ltd. in Xiaoyi City, Shanxin Province, which killed 35 people and injured 12 others. One person has never been found. Losses totaled 12.91 million yuan.

Illegal homemade explosives concealed in the colliery tunnel ignited on their own and triggered the blast, according to investigators.

Fifty people were held responsible for the accident, and 26, including Tian Yun, head of the mine and legal representative of Anxin company, were referred to judicial departments for criminal prosecution.

Twenty-four people, including Zhang Zhongsheng, vice mayor of Luliang City, and Zhang Xuguang, mayor of Xiaoyi City, received inner party disciplinary or administrative punishment.

The company was fined 38.46 million yuan and all its illegal gains were confiscated. The company's business license was revoked and it was ordered to close.

LANDSLIDE, SHANXI PROVINCE, 2008

The collapse of an unlicensed iron ore tailing pond triggered a massive landslide on Sept. 8, 2008 in Xiangfen county of the coal-rich Shanxi Province. The landslide buried an outdoor market near a village of more than 1,000 residents, killing 277 people and injuring 33. Four people were never found. Losses were put at 96.19 million yuan.

Authorities said 113 people had responsibility for the accident. Among those, 51 faced criminal charges and 62 received inner party disciplinary or administrative punishments.

Among those facing charges were Zhang Peiliang, board chairman of the Xinta Mining Ltd. Co., or the owner of the mine; Kang Haiyin, Communist Party chief of Xiangfen County; Li Xuejun, head of Xiangfen County; Liu Shuyong, chief engineer of Shanxi Provincial Land and Resources Bureau, and Su Baosheng, deputy head of Shanxi Provincial Work Safety Supervision Administration.

Xia Zhengui, secretary of Linfen city's Party committee, was given an inner-party penalty. Liu Zhijie, Linfen's then mayor, and Zhou Jie, then vice mayor of Linfen, were dismissed. Zhang Genhu, head of Shanxi Provincial Work Safety Supervision Administration, had an internal demerit entered in his record.

MINE FIRE IN HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, 2008

The fire on Sept. 20, 2008 at Fuhua Coal Mine in Hegang City killed 31 people and caused losses of 15.65 million yuan.

The accident was determined to have been caused by the spontaneous combustion of coal, but 22 people were held responsible for bad management.

Nine people, including Wang Qingyun, an investor in Fuhua Mining Co., Ltd., faced criminal charges.

Thirteen people received disciplinary penalties. Wang Rui, then vice mayor of Hegang, was included, among others.

The company's business license was suspended and it was forced to close.