China arrests key suspect in mine flood (AP) Updated: 2006-05-26 18:58
Police on Friday arrested a key suspect
in an attempted cover-up of a coal mine flood believed to have
killed 57 workers, the government said.
The suspect, Zhang Shengsheng, was in charge of mining and work safety at
the time of the May 18 accident at the Xinjing mine in the northern province
of Shanxi, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
It said Zhang fled after the accident, but was tracked down just across the
provincial border in Inner Mongolia and arrested at 3:40 a.m. in the company of
his mistress.
Zhang's by arrest was confirmed an official at headquarters in Shanxi province's Zuoyun
county, where the mine is located. The official, refused to give other
details.
Officers answering phones at Zuoyun police headquarters
said no one was available to comment. Calls to police in Datong, the
municipality that governs Zuoyun, and the provincial capital, Taiyuan, met with
the same response.
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