105 prosecuted for deadly coal mine accidents in China

A total of 105 people will be prosecuted in relation to three deadly coal mine accidents in China in the past 12 months, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) announced here Wednesday.

Two of the mine accidents happened in Pingdingshan of central China's Henan Province in June this year and September last year, while the other was in Xiangtan County in Hunan in January this year, said Huang Yi, spokesman with the SAWS, citing a statement from the State Council, or the cabinet.

The three accidents were all caused by illegal operation, which led to 159 deaths and 87.5 million yuan (12.81 million U.S.dollars) of direct economic loss, according to Huang.

Another 71 people not directly responsible for the accidents have been given disciplinary punishment by the Communist Party or the government, including Pingdingshan's Mayor, Vice Mayor and the city's Party chief, said Huang.

All the coal mines involved in the accidents were closed down, and all the related production licenses suspended, he said.

Source:Xinhua