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Cover-up of coal mine blast being probed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-26 21:47

BEIJING - China's state council, or the cabinet, established on Sunday a special investigation team to probe into the cover-up of a notorious coal mine accident in north China's Hebei Province.

The cabinet said 63 people were so far under investigation.

Members of the team were officials from State Administration of Work Safety, State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, Ministry of Supervision, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Land and Resources and also All China Federation of Trade Unions and Hebei provincial government, the cabinet said.

The team had also invited procurators from the Supreme People's Procuratorate to join the investigation.

Peng Jianxun, head of the team and Vice Director of State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, said the team would further probe into the accident and hand over suspects to the police. It would work out measures to prevent similar accidents and submit a report to the cabinet.

The results of the investigation would be publicized after the cabinet approved the report, he said.

Thirty-five people have been confirmed dead in the coal mine blast that happened at 8:30 a.m. on July 14 at Lijiawa Coal Mine in Yuxian County when explosives illegally stored in the pit ignited.

Most of the victims were migrants from Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province in the southwest, according to preliminary investigations.

The mine owners and some village and county officials covered up the tragedy, which infuriated witnesses and the victims' families. Complaints from these people prompted the central government to investigate the accident, which was revealed to the public on October 7.

So far 25 officials had been sacked for the cover-up. Twenty-two of them were prosecuted. Police have also detained the mine owners, three brothers named Li Chengkui, Li Xiangkui and Li Fakui.