Guiyang, Sep 24 (IANS): Seventy-five individuals have been held accountable for a 2023 coal mine fire that claimed 16 lives in China's Guizhou Province, as revealed at a provincial video conference held on Tuesday.

The accident occurred at the Shanjiaoshu Coal Mine in Liupanshui City on September 24, 2023, leading to the deaths of 16 miners.

Among the 75 accountable individuals, 12 people suspected of crimes were transferred to judicial organs for investigation and prosecution, and 63 people were given administrative penalties or held accountable by discipline inspection and supervision organs, according to the Guizhou Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration.

Of these 63 people, 49 were from the coal mine and its superior company, 10 were from supervisory departments of county or city levels and four were from local Party committees and government organs, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Guizhou bureau fined Shanjiaoshu Coal Mine 15 million yuan (about $2.13 million) in accordance with the law.