A special investigation group has handed out punishments to those responsible for the gold mine explosion in north China's Shanxi Province in mid-2002, including ranking officials of the local government.

The explosion in Fanshi County of Shanxi Province on June 22, 2002, killed 38 people and caused more than 10 million yuan (about US$1.2 million) of direct economic losses.

According to the investigation report, which has been approved by the State Council recently, 39 people directly responsible for the accident have been handed over to the court, including Yin San and Wang Quanquan, owners of the illegal gold mine in Fanshi County.

Former county head Wang Yanping was among eight people arrested on charges of bribe taking, dereliction of duty, and illegally buying and selling explosives.

According to the report, Wang helped Yin San and his associates obtain permission to operate the mining illegally. He was also accused of neglecting to protect the scene of the accident and detaining suspects after the accident.

Another 13 officials, including Li Jinsuo, former director of the Shanxi Gold Administration, and Yang Jinsheng, deputy mayor of Xinzhou City, received disciplinary punishments within the Communist Party of China (CPC) or the government for poor supervisory work and covering up the accident.

The report also noted that 11 journalists had accepted bribes in the form of cash and gold ingots from local officials and owners of the illegal mine.

To stem the increasing tide of accidents, many regions in China have started to have leading officials responsible for accidents in their administrative areas. 

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2003)