The accident investigation report was released, and a graphite mine in Xinhua, Hunan sent the victims of the accident to a private "funeral home" and concealed the truth

The accident investigation team of the People's Government of Loudi City, Hunan Province, verified a concealed accident in a graphite mine and released an accident investigation report on June 28.

The report shows that on January 6, 2024, Loudi City immediately organized the Xinhua County People's Government to conduct an investigation after receiving the "Letter on Rapidly Organizing Verification of Suspected Accident Concealment in Non-coal Mines" from the Hunan Provincial Safety Committee Office. It was verified that at about 17:00 on March 17, 2023, a vehicle injury accident occurred at Shengwang Graphite Mine in Shichongkou Town, Xinhua County, causing one death and direct economic losses of 2.38 million yuan, and was suspected of concealment.

Due to the concealment of the incident after the incident, there was no surveillance at the scene of the incident, and the accident site has been lost. The report can only restore the contents of the incident based on the recollections and descriptions of the people present at the time of the incident. On the afternoon of March 17, 2023, five workers of the mine began to go down to the first-level return air blind inclined shaft to carry out slag transportation operations. During the process, a mine car ran away. After the running mine car overturned in the shaft, the stones in the mine car rolled down the mountain. After the rolling stones hit the slag rake, the fragments of the collision hit the running slag worker Xie Mouping. Xie Mouping was hit on the head by the stone fragments and fell to the ground. Two workers touched Xie Mouping's pulse on his hand and neck and found that there was no pulse. They shouted to Xie Mouping but there was no response. The two judged that Xie Mouping was dead.

After the reinforcements arrived, they fixed the overturned mine car, and then wrapped Xie Mouping in a wind tube cloth and transported him out of the mine. After he was out of the mine, the mine arranged a vehicle to transport Xie Mouping to a private "funeral home" in the Xikuangshan Street Office of Lengshuijiang City to set up a mourning hall and handle his funeral.

After investigation, it was determined that the actual controllers of the mine, including Chairman Tan Dongtai, Vice Chairman Zeng Changmin, and legal representative Zeng Guozheng, failed to report the accident to the local people's government, production safety supervision department, and mine safety supervision agency, and concealed the accident. The accident caused a total of one death, the deceased Xie Mouping, male, 53 years old, from Wentang Town, Xinhua County. After investigation, it was found that the authorized representative of the mine discussed compensation with Xie Zheping's family and reached a compensation agreement the day after the incident. The mine paid a one-time compensation and cash of 2.38 million yuan. Neither party provided the investigation team with written information on the compensation agreement.

The report pointed out that Shengwang Graphite Mine failed to discover that the car blocker at the slope change point of the first-level return air blind inclined shaft had failed, and at the same time used a device to prevent runaway vehicles that did not comply with relevant regulations; it arranged personnel who had not passed the training and examination to directly engage in underground operations, and failed to implement full-time safety management personnel to manage the work site, resulting in a general production safety accident that was concealed and not reported. It is recommended that the Loudi Emergency Management Bureau impose administrative penalties in accordance with the law.

In addition, the report recommends that administrative penalties be imposed on the three former contractors and main responsible persons of Shengwang Graphite Mine, Tan Dongtai, Zeng Changmin and Zeng Guozheng, and that the Loudi Municipal Emergency Management Bureau include them in the list of entities with serious breaches of trust in production safety for joint punishment; it recommends that the Loudi Municipal Emergency Management Bureau revoke the production safety-related qualifications of Luo Fuhua, the former employed mine manager of Shengwang Graphite Mine, Liu Siqing, the former employed deputy mine manager for safety of Shengwang Graphite Mine, and Tan Jianhua, the former employed deputy mine manager for mechanical and electrical engineering of Shengwang Graphite Mine, in accordance with the law, and impose administrative penalties on them in accordance with the law. They shall not serve as the main responsible persons of mining enterprises within the jurisdiction of Loudi City within five years from the date of approval of the report.

The report also recommended that organizational measures be taken against seven public officials, including Xie Tieyong, secretary of the Youth League Committee of Shichongkou Town, Xinhua County, and a cadre stationed at the mine; it recommended that the People's Government of Shichongkou Town and the Xinhua County Emergency Management Bureau be ordered to make a written inspection to the Xinhua County Party Committee and County Government, and that the concealed accident be included in the 2024 Loudi City's assessment of its work safety.