TWO senior officials of North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have been subjected to disciplinary Party penalties as they were responsible for a severe mine collapse in February, according to an official statement Tuesday.

Huang Zhiqiang, a standing committee member of the CPC Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and a vice chairman of the regional government, was served a warning by the Party.

Dai Qin, another vice chairman of the regional government, was handed a severe warning.

The decision to hand down penalties was made by the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and approved by the CPC Central Committee.

On Feb. 22, an open-pit mine in Alxa League in Inner Mongolia collapsed, killing 53 people, injuring six others, and bringing direct economic losses of over 200 million yuan (US$27.84 million). A State Council investigation revealed that the coal company, the local Party committee and the local government were responsible for the accident.

The police launched investigations into 19 people for being accountable for the severe accident, including a stakeholder of the coal company involved. Procuratorial organs have approved the arrest of 13 of them. Six local officials and civil servants are under disciplinary and supervisory investigations for suspected severe violations of disciplines and laws as well as duty-related crimes.(Xinhua)