BEIJING — China’s top mine safety official overseeing one of the country’s leading coal-producing regions is now under investigation for corruption, following a gas explosion in May that killed 82 miners.
Hu Haijun, who serves as director of the Shanxi Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration, is suspected of committing serious violations of both discipline and law, according to an announcement made Monday evening by the government’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
A short notice published on the commission’s website offered no additional details about the specific nature of the alleged violations.
Hu also holds the title of Communist Party chief within his bureau, making him the highest-ranking official swept up in a growing investigation into Shanxi province’s coal mining sector, according to Caixin, a Chinese business publication.
Following the May explosion — described as China’s deadliest mining accident in recent years — authorities launched a sweeping inspection of the industry. While mine safety in China has seen improvement over time, it continues to be a persistent concern, as does workplace safety more broadly across the country.
The mine where the explosion occurred was operated by the Shanxi Tongzhou Coal and Coke Group. China’s National Mine Safety Administration had placed the facility on a list of disaster-prone coal mines back in 2024.
Despite China’s significant expansion of wind and solar energy, coal remains a central part of the country’s energy supply. Shanxi province, home to roughly 800,000 mine workers, produced approximately 1.3 billion tons of coal last year — accounting for nearly one-third of China’s total coal output.
