On June 11th, Wei Xiaoxiang, the deputy county head of Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, and Li Jun, the former first-level director of the Energy Bureau, were officially announced to have fallen from power. Since the coal mine accident in Luoyinyu, Shanxi, a total of 7 officials in the region have been taken down. However, the public is skeptical of this and believes that the authorities are simply trying to protect their higher-ups instead of addressing the real issues.
According to the report on June 11th from the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Wei Xiaoxiang, a member of the party committee of the Qinyuan County government and deputy county head, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently under investigation. In addition, Li Jun, the former first-level director and officer of the Energy Bureau in the county, is also being investigated for serious violations of discipline and law.
The day before, Zhang Heping, the deputy director of the Emergency Management Department of Shanxi Province, was implicated in the “5.22” major gas explosion accident at the Luoyinyu Coal Mine operated by the Tongzhou Group, leading to his downfall.
At 7:29 pm on May 22nd, a gas explosion occurred underground at the Luoyinyu Coal Mine of the Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, resulting in an initial official report of at least 90 deaths, later revised to 82, with 2 people missing and 128 others hospitalized due to injuries, making it the most severe mining accident in China since 2009.
Following the accident, authorities stated that the person in charge of the involved coal mining company had been taken under control.
On the late night of June 2nd, the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision reported that Zhao Yongjin, the party secretary of Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is under investigation; on June 4th, Wu Yong, the deputy mayor of Linfen City, Shanxi Province, voluntarily turned himself in.
On June 7th, the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, reported that Sun Xiaoye, the party committee secretary, director of the Emergency Management Bureau, and captain of the Emergency Management Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team in Qinyuan County, and Yue Xiaodong, a member of the party committee of the Emergency Management Bureau in the county and deputy captain of the Emergency Management Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team (responsible for daily work), as well as Zhang Qian, captain of the enforcement team of the Emergency Management Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team in Qinyuan County, are under investigation.
As a result of this mining accident, a total of 7 officials in Shanxi have been implicated.
However, the public remains unconvinced, with comments on social media accusing the authorities of protecting their own interests and urging for a thorough investigation at all levels to ensure no wrongdoers are left unpunished.
According to previous investigations by mainland Chinese media, the Luoyinyu Coal Mine had numerous problems, such as on the day of the accident, the sign at the mine’s entrance showed 124 people had entered the mine, but in reality, there were 247 people underground. Among them, 103 people did not have their positioning cards, and the surface monitoring system had no knowledge of their whereabouts underground. Furthermore, the mine maps submitted by the mine did not match the actual underground conditions, with some tunnels not even marked on the maps.
Public information shows that the Luoyinyu Coal Mine has been punished multiple times in the past five years, yet it continued to operate illegally, raising suspicions of regulatory oversights and the possible existence of a “protective umbrella” behind the scenes.