Nine people including investors and managers of the Hongtutian Coal Mine in Fuyuan County in Qujing City were detained, following a powerful coal mine gas explosion that left 13 dead and one missing.
At the time of the accident, which occurred on 21 April inside a shaft of the coal mine, 56 people were underground and among them 42 managed to escape without injuries.
According to the Fuyuan county government, ten officials from the privately-owned and licensed Hongtutian Coal Mine were suspended and were subjected to further investigations.
The accident was the second in the month after a flash flood at the Xiahaizi coal mine in the Qilin district left 21 miners dead.
With an aim to improve safety and efficiency of the mining industry, China has been taking effective measures such as closing small mines and ordering mines to build emergency systems, protective walls, oxygen cylinders and airtight doors to protect workers during a disaster.
