A State Council investigation team has been set up to conduct a rigorous and uncompromising probe into the deadly explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province, to determine the cause and hold those responsible accountable, Xinhua reported on Wednesday night.
The team was established by the State Council and is led by the Ministry of Emergency Management, with participation from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the National Energy Administration, the National Mine Safety Administration and the Shanxi provincial government.
The explosion occurred underground at the mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan county, Changzhi, at around 7:29 pm on Friday, causing 82 deaths.
The team held its first plenary meeting on Wednesday evening. Zhang Chengzhong, head of the team and minister of emergency management, presided over the meeting, briefed participants on investigation arrangements and set out work requirements.
The team was asked to fully determine the cause of the accident, clarify responsibilities in local management, industry supervision and enterprise operations, and strictly punish those responsible in accordance with laws and regulations.
The meeting also called for drawing lessons from the accident, conducting a full review of mine safety measures and intensifying crackdowns on illegal production and operations in key sectors.
It urged comprehensive checks and rectification of safety risks to prevent major and especially serious accidents.
Officials from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision also attended the meeting.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Tuesday that it had decided to supervise the handling of the case involving the accident.