Local authorities have sacked two officials in charge of safety production in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, blaming their "grave dereliction of duty" for a coal mine blast that claimed seven lives last Monday, the local government said Sunday.

A gas explosion occurred at 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Majiahe Coal Mine located at the Yaotou Township, Chengcheng County, Weinan City of Shaanxi, leaving seven miners dead and three others injured.

Twenty-two miners were working underground when the accident took place and 12 managed to escape.

The privately-owned coal mine, with an annual output capacity of 60,000 tons, was found out to have been keeping production before the accident happened, even though all its licenses had been suspended since September when Shaanxi Province launched an overhaul over all its coal mines, according to Gao Xinghong, director of the Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau of Weinan City.

"It had been ordered to rectify and improve its production," Gao said.

Therefore, Liu Haiguo and Liu Xiaofeng, officials of the Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau of Chengcheng County who were dispatched in September to stay at and supervise the Majiahe Coal Mine, failed to fulfill their responsibility, Gao said.

Relevant authorities have kept the owner of the coal mine in house arrest and are investigating his operation and businesses, and all the coal mine's crude coal and properties have been seized.

All the coal mines in Chengchen County have been ordered to halt operation till Feb. 12 next year for a general safety checkup, Gao said.

Source: Xinhua