Zeng Yungao, owner of the Daxing Colliery in Xingning City,
south China's Guangdong
Province, where a fatal flooding claimed 123 lives last month,
has been arrested, local procuratorate sources confirmed on
Friday.
Zeng, chairman of the board of directors of the Dajingli Coal Co
Ltd, was arrested on September 12, said Song Qinchuan, procurator
of the Xingning City Procuratorate.
Song said 16 others, most of whom are officials and managerial
personnel of the Daxing Colliery, were also arrested because they
are held accountable for the fatal accident or illegal mining
operations. One was arrested for destroying accounts of the
colliery.
The accident occurred at 1:30 PM on August 7. A total of 123
miners were reported missing. Only four escaped. Rescuers only
recovered the bodies of six miners killed in the accident.
The rescue operation was stopped on August 29 and the local
authority announced that 123 miners were killed after finding no
hope of survival for the 117 miners who had been trapped for 23
days in the flooded coal mine.
In addition, the geological situation is too complicated to
continue the rescue work in the coal mine, according to the rescue
headquarters.
(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2005)