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 | | Reports indicate the managers of the Huayuan mine failed to evacuate after local floods |
Two managers of a Chinese coal mine have each been sentenced to seven years in prison for their roles in a flooding in August last year that killed 172 miners.
The incident occurred when heavy rains burst a dyke that flooded the mine near Xintai in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, state media reported on Thursday.
Zhang Zhenxiu, Huayuan Mining Compnay chairman, and Zhang Canjun, deputy general manger, were found liable for the deaths, according to Beijing News. The newspaper said the two managers failed to stop production and order the miners to evacuate after the dyke burst, Associated Press reported.
Families of the miners said other mines in the area pulled their workers to the surface before the dyke burst because of flooding fears. Nine miners died in another mine shaft nearby that also was flooded. The Xintai mine went bankrupt three years ago when it was a state firm. It was bought up by Huayuan, a private company. Deadly record The Huayuan accident was the deadliest mining accident in China since 214 miners were killed in an explosion in Liaoning province in February 2005. The Chinese government has vowed to improve mine safety. But China's mining industry remains the world's deadliest, killing nearly 3,800 people last year. Coal is a primary energy source in China to fuel the burgeoning economy and with prices riding high these days, some operators ignore safety rules in the interest of higher production.
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Tags: Huayuan mine China coal mine
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