Former Qinyuan Party secretary surrenders amid mine blast probe

Li Dingfu, former Party secretary of Qinyuan county in Changzhi, Shanxi province, has voluntarily surrendered himself and is under investigation for suspected serious violations of Party discipline and the law, the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Shanxi Provincial Supervisory Commission said on Wednesday.

The announcement came about one month after a deadly gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan county. The blast occurred at 7:29 pm on May 22, killing 82 people, leaving two missing and injuring 128 others.

The State Council has established an investigation team to look into the accident.

Several officials have been placed under investigation in connection with the accident.

On June 22, Geng Qinglu, an official with the Eighth Supervision and Law Enforcement Office of the Shanxi Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration, was placed under supervisory investigation for suspected serious legal violations related to the accident.

On June 11, Wei Xiaoxiang, deputy head of the Qinyuan county government, was placed under investigation. On the same day, Li Jun, a former official with the county's energy bureau, was also put under investigation.

On June 10, Zhang Heping, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management, was investigated for suspected serious violations of Party discipline and the law in connection with the Liushenyu mine accident. Zhang previously served as head of the Changzhi Coal Industry Bureau and vice-mayor of Changzhi.

On June 7, three officials from Qinyuan county's emergency management system were placed under investigation.

On June 2, Zhao Yongjin, then Party secretary of Qinyuan county, was put under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by Shanxi's anti-graft authorities.

Authorities have said the cause of the explosion, as well as the responsibilities of the company, local management departments and industry regulators, will be thoroughly investigated.