China sentences 16 for coal-mine flood
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-09 15:24

A court in southern China has sentenced 16 officials to jail terms of up to six years in connection with a coal mine flood that killed 123 people, the government said Wednesday.

Miners prepare to head into the Dongfeng Coal mine in Qitaihe in China's northeastern Heilongjiang province in this Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005 file photo [AP]

Those sentenced included Wang Zhuoxiong, chief of the local work safety office in Daxing, a city in Guangdong province, and Li Zhenquan, deputy director of the local land resources bureau, the  Xinhua News Agency reported.

The report did not give the specific sentences for Wang and Li. Provincial authorities ordered all coal mines in Guangdong to shut down after the Aug. 7 flood at the Daxing Coal Mine, which had been operating without a license and in violation of orders to close due to a flood at a nearby pit that killed 16 people.

The government also ordered officials to sever all business ties with coal mines.

The officials sentenced Wednesday were convicted of various crimes including dereliction of duty, taking bribes and illegal mining, the report said.

Another 22 local officials received unspecified administrative penalties, it said. The mine's owner, Zeng Yungao and 17 people with business connections to the mine are also due to face sentencing soon, the report said.