At least eight people were killed in a coal mine flooding accident last month in north China's Shanxi province that was concealed by the owners, state media reported Saturday.
A government investigation discovered that seven workers killed in the accident had been cremated or buried by family members, according to the Xinhua news agency, quoting the administration of Shuozhou city.
Another body, whose identity is still unconfirmed, was recovered on January 16 in the mine shaft, the report said, after a pit belonging to the Xinzhuang Coal Mining Company, based in Shanyin County, was flooded in early December.
The report said the company covered up the accident and did not report it to the authorities.
It even transferred the dead bodies to other places, chief of the mine Zhang Yudong reportedly confessed to investigators.
It is not clear how many miners were working underground when it was flooded on December 5.
A police officer who declined to be named told Xinhua that the mining firm paid some families about 500,000-600,000 yuan (70,000-90,000 dollars) each for not reporting the accident.
Police are hunting three men responsible for the accident and the cover-up, while a number of suspects have been detained, the report said.
Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines in 2007, according to official figures. However, independent monitors say the real figure is much higher as many accidents are covered up.
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