People punished for coal mine accident in Anhui

A total of 37 people, including local officials, have been punished for a gas explosion accident that happened to a coal mine in East China’s Anhui province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a press release on Sunday.

The accident, which happened in the province’s Fuyang city on March 11, killed 9 and injured another 15 people, directly causing economic losses of 16.37 million yuan ($2.25 million).

Anhui Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration published an investigation report on the accident on Wednesday.

A minor gas explosion happened to the working force of the coal mine on March 8, injuring two workers, according to the report.

The site resumed production on the following day as some measures had been taken, then a flame was spotted again.

An abnormal situation still emerged on March 10, when the mining company decided to seal the working face with concrete.

On March 11, when the sealing task was almost completed, a major explosion happened. Seven workers died after being lifted out from the mine on the day, with another two missing people being found dead on March 27, according to the report.

The accident was caused by inadequate gas control in the beginning, then the adopted measures failed to effectively eliminate the ignition source, and there were problems with fire zone enclosure operation and personnel evacuation, said the report.

The punishment included Party disciplinary and administrative sanctions, fines, suspension or revocation of their certificates for safety production and management, according to the report.