China mine boss jailed for cover-up
Mine owner convicted over 2006 accident that left 56 coal miners dead.
Published On 27 Feb 2007
He was also convicted of illegal mining, bribery and falsifying testimony.
China has the world’s deadliest coal mining industry with fatal accidents on an almost daily basis.
Labour rights groups say safety regulations are often ignored in many mines as production is pushed beyond limits in the rush for profit.
Nearly 6,000 coal miners died in about 3,300 accidents in 2005, and the death toll for the first 10 months of 2006 stood at 3,726, according to the latest available figures.
Officials say small and privately run coal mines that fall short of safety standards account for most of the casualties, but large state-owned mines report the higher death tolls.