GUANGZHOU - Six senior managers working for a subsidiary of China's largest gold mining company were given sentences of up to six years in prison on Friday for their liability in a dam collapse that killed 22 people in south China's Guangdong Province in 2010.

Wang Hui, former general manager of Xinyi Zijin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zijin Mining, received a six-year jail term for severe negligence that led to a major accident, according to a verdict from the Xinyi Municipal People's Court in Guangdong. The other five managers received jail terms ranging from 1.5 to 5.5 years.

Twenty-two people were killed and 523 houses were destroyed in the city of Xinyi after a tine mine tailing pond owned by Xinyi Zijin flooded and caused the collapse of a nearby dam on September 21 last year.

A provincial government-led investigation found that the dam was poorly maintained and held Zijin responsible for the accident. A total of 36 individuals were questioned during the investigation, including the director of work safety bureau.

The city of Xinyi suffered economic losses of 656 million yuan (102 million US dollars) as a result of the dam breach.

Zijin Mining, also a top producer of copper and zinc, and Xinyi Zijin have donated 51 million yuan to people affected by the flood.

Zijin Mining has been sued for 340 million yuan in damages caused by the dam breach. The Xinyi Municipal People's Court has accepted nearly 2,500 lawsuits filed against the company.