Society

Five jailed for China mine blast that kills 76

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-16 20:17

ZHENGZHOU - Five managers of a coal mine in Central China's Henan province were jailed Tuesday in connection with the deaths of 76 miners in a gas explosion last year.

Four executives at the No 4 Mine in Xinhua district of Pingdingshan became the first mine managers to be convicted of endangering public safety, said the Pingdingshan city's Intermediate People's Court.

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Mine manager Li Xinjun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.

He was also convicted of forging a university stamp that helped him get a mine manager safety certificate, Guo Baozhen, the court president told reporters.

Han Erjun, a deputy manager in charge of technical maintenance, was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.

Hou Min, a deputy manager responsible for safety, was sentenced to life in prison and Deng Shujun, a deputy manager in charge of production, received a 15-year jail term.

The fifth defendant, Yuan Yingzhou, an assistant manager, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for organizing illegal and risky operations.

Another 15 people were injured when the blast ripped through the pit on Sept 8 last year.

A shaft collapse on Sept 5 destroyed ventilation facilities and the gas sensors, which the management had ordered to be disabled, failed to warn of the high level of gas, the verdict said.

The defendants were fully aware of the high level of gas in the pit, but still organized large numbers of miners to work underground, Guo said.

The mine, which was under technological renovation at the time of the blast, did not have a safe production license, the court found.