China probing 31 officials for covering up coal mine accidents

Chinese judicial officials are investigating 31 officials for allegedly abusing power and taking bribes to cover-up three major coal mine accidents that killed 39 miners in the country.
The officials, including coal industry administrators, work safety watchdog staff and town government officials, allegedly committed crimes including abuse of power, dereliction of duty and accepting bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).
All the officials under investigation have been placed under "compulsory measures", which according to China's Criminal Procedure Law, include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Hundreds of mine workers die in mine accidents every year in energy-hungry China.

A fire in a mine owned by the Rongningfeng Company of Lushan County in central China's Henan Province killed 24 people and caused direct economic losses worth more than 20 million yuan (USD 3.2 million) on December 22, 2009.
The accident was concealed for four years.

In the same province, seven people were killed and another nine were injured in a coal mine flood in Gongyi City on December 22, 2013. Due to the accident, the direct economic losses hit 15 million yuan.
The town government, Dayugou Coal Mine Co, Ltd and the owner of the coal mine were accused of withholding information.

Eight people died on July 5 this year when a colliery roof collapsed in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
Work safety watchdog officials failed to find or check the coal mine's illegal operations until the accident occurred, according to investigators.