The Communist Party of China (CPC) is to conduct a nationwide review of disciplinary and legal action against officials who contribute to industrial accidents through corruption or negligence.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced the review in a circular, saying some public officials and departments were failing to properly investigate and deal with major accidents, despite a general improvement in investigations and fighting corruption.

The announcement came as rescue workers ended their 16th day of an operation to save 56 miners trapped in a flooded north China coal pit.

The results of the review are to be published and opened to public comment, said the circular, which was issued jointly with the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supervision Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the State Administration of Work Safety.

It said many officials who contributed to accidents escaped prosecution or proper disciplinary procedures because of inadequate investigations, which had "a negative social impact".

It called on all departments to carry out full and thorough checks on the procedures following major accidents since October 2003 and to bring to account heads of departments that failed to carry out proper disciplinary measures.

Rescue workers in north China's Shanxi Province have begun to drill a 380-meter hole to pump water from a flooded coal pit where 56 miners have been trapped for 16 days.

The accident, the worst of its kind in China this year, has been the subject of public outrage after mine managers allegedly tried to cover it up by renting taxis to take relatives of the trapped miners to neighboring Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, out of contact with investigators.

Police have arrested 19 people, including the mine owner and labor contractors.

Zhang Mingsheng, head of Zuoyun County, and Shi Lu, deputy head of Zuoyun County who was in charge of coal mining, were sacked last Saturday.

Three officials of Zhangjiachang Town, where the mine is located, including Party Secretary Chang Rui and township head Liu Yongxin, have also been suspended from their posts.

Source: Xinhua