Beijing, Nov 27 || A total of 45 people have been punished for their roles in a coal mine gas explosion in China's Heilongjiang Province that left 11 people dead and six others injured a year ago, local mine safety authorities said.
The gas explosion in Shuangyang Coal Mine in the city of Shuangyashan on November 28, 2023, was a major work safety incident caused by improper operations in serious violations of laws and rules, chaotic safety management and inadequate safety supervision, according to an investigation report released by the Heilongjiang branch of the National Mine Safety Administration, news agency reported.
The investigation found that the explosion was directly caused by an excessive concentration of gas and sparks from a power cable failure following the natural discharge of gas and ventilation failure underground in the mine shaft.
Shuangyang Coal Mine is run by Longmay Shuangyashan Mining Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Longmay Mining Holding Group, a major state-owned coal producer in Heilongjiang Province.
The explosion also caused a direct economic loss of 19.5 million yuan (about $2.7 million).