An official in charge of overseeing mine safety is being investigated for allegedly taking bribes to cover up a mine blast that killed 12 people in northern China's Shaanxi province, state media said Sunday.
Bai Wenjie, head of the Huangling county's coal industry bureau, colluded with owners of the Qifenggouxi Coal Mine to cover up the accident on September 15, the Xinhua news agency said.
For four days the accident was not reported to the government as the mine owners tried to settle the matter by paying compensation to families of the deceased miners so they would keep quiet, Xinhua said.
The bereaved families were paid a total of 306,626 dollars.
Officials only learned of the blast after local media reported it.
The mine was operating beyond its designed capacity, producing more than twice the amount of coal it was supposed to, according to Xinhua.
Five mine officials were earlier arrested for covering up the accident.
The mine has been ordered to suspend production.
Official figures show around 6,000 miners die every year in China through accidents often linked to poor or non-existent safety measures.
Independent estimates say the real figure could be far higher as mines often falsify death counts or do not report accidents to escape closures and fines.
