21 probed for fatal Shanxi road deaths

Twenty-one officials have been investigated regarding the fatal road tunnel blast on March 1 in north China's Shanxi Province, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP). They are under investigation for dereliction of duty, abuse of power and bribery, the SPP said in a statement. Two tankers loaded with methanol collided inside a tunnel between Jincheng City in Shanxi and Jiyuan City in Henan, causing a blast and fire. Forty people were killed and another 12 seriously injured. Investigations found dereliction of duty involving officials in charge of road transport management, quality and technical supervision, highway administration and the highway police, the SPP said. Among the officials are Du Taoyi, deputy head of Jincheng transport administration bureau, Ma Chunping, deputy general manager of Jincheng highway company, and Guo Xinming, head of the transport bureau of Mengzhou city in central China's Henan Province. Fourty-two vehicles were burnt in the incident, causing direct economic losses of 82 million yuan (13 million U.S. dollars).