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BEIJING - Seven local officials were fired following a fire at a central China coal mine that left 25 dead, highlighting the country's enduring problems with worker safety as its demand for energy continues to grow.
The victims working underground at the Dongxing Coal Mining Co. pit in Xinmi City had no oxygen tanks when electric cables caught fire Monday night, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Tuesday, citing city emergency response officer Feng Songjian.
Six of the 31 miners escaped, but the rest quickly succumbed to carbon monoxide, Feng was cited as saying.
A number of local officials have been fired, as is routine in China after deadly mining accidents. The China Daily newspaper said Wednesday the fired officials included Su Yingxi, a vice mayor of Xinmi city, and Fan Ruihui, governor of Niudian township where the mine is located.
Also fired were a deputy director of Xinmu's coal mine bureau, a Niudian official in charge of work safety and three Xinmi work safety inspectors.
An initial investigation found that the mine should have been closed for renovations to increase its capacity, state media said. But work resumed without a production license.
Police have detained one of the mine's investors and three managers. Their assets and those of the mining company's have been frozen, state media said.
China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, despite a multiyear government effort to reduce fatalities. Most accidents are blamed on failure to follow safety rules or lack of required ventilation, fire control and other equipment.
