"42 officials held accountable for coal mine collapse in china" 29 August 2023

The collapse at the Xinjing Open Pit Coal Mine in Alshaa League on Feb 22 killed 53 people. Six workers were found dead shortly after the collapse, and local authorities pronounced the deaths of the other 47 people who were reported missing on June 21, when the search and rescue mission concluded.

The investigation team of the State Council, the country's cabinet, found that the collapse was caused by the risky and reckless operation of Hongxinyao Earth and Rock Engineering Company, which was contracted to transform the mine from an underground mine to an open-pit mine. The company had no qualification for construction projects in mines...

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The direct cause of the accident was that the contractor did not construct the transformation project as designed, which resulted in an extremely high and steep slope. The mining company conducted exploitation continuously in a highly intensive manner as the construction went on, which greatly undermined the stability of the slope...

The investigation report also found that local authorities had neglected their supervisory duties and had allowed major risks and hazards to linger at the mine for an extended period of time...

Forty-two officials have been held accountable and 13 company employees have been arrested after an investigation...