China Roundup on July 13

• Source: Global Times
• [07:34 July 13 2009]
• Comments

Officials warned

The Communist Party of China yesterday made public a regulation on officials' accountability. It outlined the possible reasons for their dismissal, including having a series of serious accidents occur in their jurisdiction, abuse of power, illegal administrative activities, incorrect handling of group protests, and other conducts that harm the national interest, or results in great losses to people.

Officials charged with serious misconduct will be transferred to judicial departments for further investigation and punishment if their actions are deemed criminal, it said.

Storm lands in China

Soudelor, the fifth tropical storm of the year, made landfall in Hainan and Guangdong provinces yesterday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains.

The storm hit Wenchang on Hainan Island at about 5:30 am and moved further inland, the Guangdong provincial meteorological administration said.

Soudelor, which formed in the sea to the north of Luzon, the Philippines, on Friday, packed winds of up to 97 km/h and carried heavy downpours to the western coast of Guangdong.

Blast victims identified

The eight people killed in an iron mine explosion in Hebei Province have been identified, a company source said yesterday.

The eight fatalities and six others injured were all employees of the Wenzhou Tongye Construction Engineering Company based in Zhejiang Province, the source from the Hebei Iron and Steel Group Company said.

Sixty-six people were working underground at the Shirengou mine in Zunhua, Hebei, when the blast occurred at about 11 am Saturday.

Miners found alive

Three men, who had been trapped in a flooded mine in Guizhou Province for 25 days, were lifted to safety yesterday, the rescue headquarters said.

The men were found at about 11:28 am and immediately taken above ground, Chen Qing, the headquarters' chief said.

They managed to survive by drinking water. They appeared very weak but could talk, rescuers said.

The Xinqiao Coal Mine in Qinglong county was flooded on June 17, when 16 miners were working underground. Rescuers found the first body on June 25 and are continuing to search for the 12 people missing.