Two county officials were removed from their posts after a coal mine flooding accident that has trapped 56 miners, local official sources said Saturday night.

 

Zhang Mingsheng, head of Zuoyun County, was removed from his post as deputy secretary of the Zuoyun county committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

 

Shi Lu, deputy head of Zuoyun County who is in charge of coal mining, was removed from his post as member of the county committee of CPC.

 

On May 18, a coal mine flooding accident occurred at the Xinjiang mine of Zuoyun County, north China's Shanxi Province. Latest check results show that 56 miners are still trapped in the flooded pit.

 

Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said that poor management and excessive production should be blamed for the accident.

 

The lax supervision of local government officials on the mine, is another key factor that led to the accident, according to Li.

 

So far, 19 people, including the mine's owner and labor contractors, have been detained by police, said the rescue headquarters.

 

Rescue workers are still pumping water from the flooded mine, though the hope for the survival of the 56 trapped miners is slim.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2006)