Poor management and violation of working rules were responsible for a coal mine flooding that killed 14 miners a week ago in north China's Hebei Province.

The accident occurred at 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 19 in the Yuanda Coal Mine in Neiqiu County of Xingtai City. The 14 trapped miners down the pit died after a two-day rescue operation failed, according to the provincial workplace safety department.

Although Yuanda is a licensed coal mine, it has serious problems and loopholes in work safety and management, the workplace safety department said.

This is the second fatal mine accidents in Xingtai this month. Cave-ins at three plaster mines on Nov. 6 caused 33 deaths and left at least four missing.

Xingtai City has worked out rules to impose fines as much as one million yuan (12.34 million US dollars) on coal mines for eachdeath in accidents, following the two fatal mine accidents.

The rules will be effective and implemented during a 100-day safety rectification campaign scheduled between Nov. 21 and the end of February next year, according to the city government.

Source: Xinhua