Photo: CFP

National Mine Safety Administration has punished 36 personnel for concealing a gas explosion incident at a coal mine in Baishan, Northeast China's Jilin Province, and illegally transporting and cremating the bodies of the victims, local media reported on Saturday. 

The incident that occurred on April 2 causing four deaths and another four injuries, resulting in direct economic loss of 10.16 million yuan ($1.4 million), according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. 

Following the incident, the coal mine did not report what took place as required but resorted to illegal means in an attempt to conceal the incident, including sealing off scenes and transporting and cremating bodies of the deceased, China Central Television reported on Saturday.

It was reported that the four deceased were sent to four different mortuaries and morgues, and officials with the coal mine reached a compensation agreement with the families of the victims.

Subsequently, at a price of 50,000 yuan each, coal mine officials bought two death certificates from a mortuary, resulting in the illegal disposal of two deceased bodies. At the same time, they arranged coal mine staff members to delete accident-related video surveillance data on the afternoon of April 5, according to media reports. 

Upon receiving reports from the public, the Baishan Emergency Management Bureau initiated an investigation into the reported case from April 3 to 12.

The investigation team conducted inspections of safety monitoring system, personnel tracking system, and video surveillance, meanwhile interviewing 52 day-shift miners who entered the mine on the day of the incident. However, no sign of gas explosion was found and testimonies from the miners on duty also suggested no accident was observed.

Eventually under mounting pressures, four people including the investor and the mine manager turned themselves in.  

The National Mine Safety Administration has confirmed the death toll of the incident in an investigation report released recently, saying that on-site survey by a mine rescue team in previously concealed areas has found no other injuries or deaths. 

The report has held 36 related personnel accountable and put forward recommended punishments. Among them, 12 individuals are recommended to face prosecution by judicial authorities, eight will face administrative penalties, and 15 recommended will be subject to disciplinary actions within the Party and government.

In addition, the coal mine related to the incident has been fined 5 million yuan and with coal and mining equipment confiscated by the authority. The site has been deemed an illegal coal mine and suggested in the report to shut down by the Baishan municipal government for operating without a valid safety production permit and producing coal illegally outside the scope of the technical design.

Coal mine safety in China is facing a "grim and complex" situation, officials with the Ministry of Emergency Management said previously in September, noting that illegal activities such as concealing accidents have occurred frequently since the beginning of 2023, with the country's largest open-pit coal mine accident occurring in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in February, which killed 53 and caused direct economic losses of over 204 million yuan.

In response, guidelines to improve workplace safety in mines was rolled out in September aiming to eradicate hidden loopholes, which is of great practical significance given it was the first framework document for mine safety with the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Global Times