Key facts
- A coal mine explosion at Liushenyu Coal Mine in China killed 82 miners and left two missing.
- Zhang Heping, deputy director of the provincial department of emergency management, is under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law."
- The investigation is linked to systemic safety failures, illegal mining practices, and mismanagement at the mine.
- President Xi Jinping has demanded a thorough investigation and accountability for the disaster.
- The Ministry of Emergency Management has launched a nationwide wave of safety inspections.
A catastrophic coal mine explosion that killed 82 people in northern China has triggered a sweeping anticorruption investigation. Zhang Heping, deputy director of the Shanxi Emergency Management Department, is being investigated for "serious violations of discipline and law," according to the provincial discipline inspection commission. The disaster occurred on May 22 at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Tongzhou Group, in Qinyuan county. Preliminary investigations exposed systemic safety failures, illegal mining practices, and chronic mismanagement at the site, prompting direct intervention from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who demanded a thorough investigation and rigorous accountability. The announcement was made as the Ministry of Emergency Management launched a month-long round of central workplace safety inspections nationwide.