Officials prosecuted in China for coal mine deaths

China has dismissed two provincial deputy governors and prosecuted 96 officials blamed for six high-profile coal mine accidents that killed a total of 528 people over the past 13 months, the government announced today.

The announcement came at a joint news conference by the country’s top industrial safety and mining officials about efforts to reduce the carnage in China’s coal mines, where accidents kill more than 5,000 miners a year.

Local and provincial officials were accused of failing to enforce safety rules or colluding with mine bosses who ignored safety regulations or failed to install required equipment, said Li Yizhong, the director of China’s industrial safety agency.

Two provincial deputy governors were dismissed, 96 officials prosecuted and 126 other officials were demoted or fired, Li and other officials said.

They didn’t give any details of what charges were filed against the officials, how many were convicted or what penalties they might face.