Shanxi mine safety officials under investigation following deadly coal mine explosion

Two senior officials with the Shanxi bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration have been placed under investigation in connection with a deadly coal mine gas explosion, according to announcements issued by provincial anti-graft bodies on Monday.

Zhang Chengzhi, the bureau's deputy director, is undergoing disciplinary review by the discipline inspection and supervision team of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission stationed at the Ministry of Emergency Management. He is also under investigation by the Shanxi Provincial Commission of Supervision. Li Zhongyou, the bureau's chief engineer, is also being investigated by the same authorities, according to the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision.

The announcements came as scrutiny of officials has widened following a gas explosion at Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Tongzhou Group, in Qinyuan County, Changzhi, on May 22. The explosion killed 82 people, while two others remain missing. The State Council later established an investigation team headed by the Ministry of Emergency Management to conduct a thorough investigation into the accident.

Earlier on Monday, provincial anti-graft authorities announced an investigation into Zhang Wenbo, director of the Changzhi Emergency Management Bureau. Following the blast, Zhang attended a municipal government news conference to brief the public on rescue operations and a citywide coal mine safety campaign.

Before Monday's announcements, six officials from the Shanxi bureau of the national mine safety regulator had been investigated, including bureau chief Hu Haijun. Zhang Heping, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management, has also been placed under investigation. Six officials who held leadership positions in Changzhi or Qinyuan have also come under investigation, including three who had served as Party secretary of Qinyuan County.