Geng Qinglu, a third-level researcher of the eighth law enforcement division of the Shanxi bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration, is suspected of serious violations of law in relation to the coal mine gas explosion and is now under investigation by the Shanxi provincial supervisory commission, according to the official website of the Shanxi provincial commission for discipline inspection and supervision.

On June 7, three officials from the emergency management system in Qinyuan county, Changzhi, Shanxi Province, are under disciplinary and supervisory investigation following the deadly coal mine gas explosion, Xinhua reported.

The three officials are suspected of serious violations of Party discipline and the law. They are currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities in Shangdang District of Changzhi, Qinxian county, and Huguan county, respectively.

At 7:29 pm on May 22, a gas explosion occurred underground at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan county, Changzhi. The accident has left 82 people dead, two missing, and 128 injured.

A preliminary investigation found that the Shanxi Tongzhou Group, the company that runs the coal mine, had committed serious violations of laws and regulations. Investigators discovered discrepancies between the number of workers displayed on underground personnel information boards and the actual number of people underground. Mine maps provided by the company were also found to be inconsistent with actual conditions. Regulatory records show that the company had been penalized at least five times over the past five years, Xinhua reported.

Global Times