The State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved the arrest of two senior executives responsible for a gas leak that killed 37 people in Yuzhou of central Henan Province in October 2010.

The accident at the No.4 coal mine owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co. occurred because no effective measures had been taken to rid the mine of gas leak dangers, the State Council said in a statement.

Two suspects, including mine director Zhang Aiguo and chief engineer Si Xinbo, had been arrested and would be delivered to judicial organs, the statement said.

Another 25 people also culpable in the accident would receive harsh disciplinary and administrative punishments, according to the State Council.