Probe into deaths in Chinese mine accident after claims of cover-up
- Six people were killed after they fell down a shaft at the site in Wuan, Hebei last month
- Authorities are investigating and say the incident was not reported
Six people were killed in an iron mine accident in northern China last month, the local government said on Wednesday, and an investigation is under way after the operator was accused of a cover-up.
They died after falling down a shaft at the mine in Wuan, Hebei province on February 24, the city government said in a statement after a preliminary investigation.
It also said the operator, Tuanchengdong Mining, did not report the accident to authorities as required by law.
Chinese media reports on the incident emerged on Tuesday after allegations began circulating online that three deaths had been covered up, including that compensation had been offered to the family of at least one miner.
The authorities launched an investigation which confirmed there had been an accident that was not reported and that six people had died.
Tuanchengdong Mining could not be reached for comment.
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Wuan, located in the country’s top steelmaking province, is one of the four richest areas for iron ore in China. The authorities said the mine involved in the accident had capacity for 100,000 tonnes of iron ore a year but halted production in late 2018.
According to official news agency Xinhua, the six people were killed during an inspection of the mine.
People associated with Tuanchengdong Mining had been placed “under control” and were being investigated by authorities in Handan, which oversees Wuan, the Xinhua report said, without elaborating.
Tuanchengdong Mining is wholly owned by the Wuan government through the Wuan Metallurgical Mining Group, according to company data provider Qichacha.
The Communist Party committee of Wuan declined to say whether the mine’s manager had been detained. “We do not have a very clear idea about the situation,” a spokeswoman for the party committee said.
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China has a poor record on industrial safety, especially at its mines, where accidents are common.
There were 573 mining-related deaths in the country last year, according to the National Mine Safety Administration.
Shandong authorities closed all non-coal mining operations in the province in February after another deadly accident at a gold mine, just over a month after the Qixia blast. The mines will be able to resume operations once they pass a safety inspection.
