Local party chief probed after 82 killed in Chinese mining tragedy

BEIJING - A party chief in the northern coal-rich Chinese province of Shanxi is under investigation over "suspected serious violations of discipline and law", the local anti-graft agency said on Tuesday, after a mining tragedy last month that killed at least 82.

Zhao Yongjin, the top official of Qinyuan county, "is currently undergoing disciplinary review and a supervisory investigation by the provincial discipline inspection and supervision commission," a statement showed.

An initial probe into the deadliest mining accident in China since 2009 has uncovered concealed mining tunnels, falsified drawings and outsourced and unregistered ⁠miners, who had not been provided with required life-saving location trackers.

The government has pledged to leave no stone unturned in rooting out the cause of the incident.

(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan WooEditing by Gareth Jones)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 10:50 AM.