A coal gas explosion rocked the Xiangshui mine on Saturday morning. Five miners were rescued, but one of them is in a critical condition.
According to newsagency Xinhua, Pannan Coal Exploitation chairman Lu Hongzhuan, general manager Wu Chao and chief engineer Zhao Qingping were fired on Sunday following an investigation by the State Administration of Work Safety and the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.
A deputy general manager of the company that controls the mine, the Guizho Panjiang Group, has resigned.
The mine is located near the coal-rich city of Liupanshui.
It started operations in 2006 with a designed output of 4 million tonnes per year. The mine sits atop what is thought to be a 1.3 billion tonne coal deposit.
Coal from the mine feeds the Pannan power station, which is considered a key part of the government’s plan to send electricity from its resource-rich western region to the power-hungry industry belts in the east.
