China punishes 34 officials for mine accident

A total of thirty-four local government officials in the cities of Luzhou and Leshan, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, have been punished in connection with a fatal mine accident and illegal operation of another mine.
Twenty-nine officials have been punished over a gas explosion in Taozigou coal mine in Luxian County, Luzhou City that killed 28 people on May 11 this year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
They included Liu Qiang, mayor of Luzhou City and Zhang Xianfu, deputy mayor of the city, who were both given a warning of their future behaviour.
Ma Teng, deputy director of the city's financing office and Pu Tao, deputy head of the Luxian county government were also sacked.

In another case, five officials were sacked or given disciplinary sanctions for the illegal operation of the Dabao coal mine in the Ebian Yi Autonomous County, Leshan City.
Like Xingfu, head of the Ebian Yi autonomous county government, was suspended from work.
A deputy head of the county government and head of the county's work safety administration were sacked.
The mine had defied the provincial government's order of asking all the mines in the province to halt production for risk analysis in early June.