A fire breaks out in a bathroom on the second floor of Yongju Coal Industry's office building on November 16, 2023, in Lüliang, North China's Shanxi Province, resulting in 26 deaths and 38 injuries.Photo: VCG

Lishi District People's Court of Lüliang in North China's Shanxi Province has delivered the first-instance verdict on September 29 in two cases stemming from the deadly 2023 Lüliang fire, which killed 26 people, CCTV news reported on Friday. 

Ten defendants were tried in a case of major labor safety accident, and three in a case of major engineering safety accident. All 13 individuals were convicted and sentenced for major labor safety accident and engineering safety accident crimes, respectively.

At around 6:30 am on November 16, 2023, a fire broke out in a bathroom on the second floor of Yongju Coal Industry's office building. The accident resulted in 26 deaths and 38 injuries, with a burned area of approximately 900 square meters and direct economic losses of about 49.9 million yuan ($7 million).

An investigation concluded that the fire was a work safety liability accident caused by multiple factors: the enterprise failed to fulfill its primary responsibility for safety; electric hoists were installed beyond approved limits, and the power supply lines for the movable high-altitude work platform were laid in violation of regulations; flammable items such as miner's lamps, oxygen self-rescuers, and spray paints were illegally stored in the wellhead bathroom; safety management was severely lacking; a short circuit in the power supply line of the hanging basket ignited flammable materials stored inside the hoist. After the accident, Yongju Coal Industry compensated the victims' families and the injured.

Based on the facts, nature, circumstances of the crimes committed by each defendant and the harmful consequences caused, the defendants in the two cases were respectively sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from four years and six months to one year and three months.

According to the accident investigation report released by local government in April 2024, the enterprise involved formulated a list of rectification responsibilities to address the hidden risks exposed by the accident and implemented rectification measures one by one. It invested 37.5 million yuan in fire-fighting reconstruction after the accident, equipped fire-fighting facilities, set up a fire safety committee and clarified management responsibilities. Meanwhile, it strengthened safety education and publicity, conducted regular emergency drills and improved safety awareness among employees.