A gas explosion at Yuanhua Colliery in Hengshan District of Jixi City killed 26 miners on Nov. 25. Six days later, eight more miners were killed in Chengjin Colliery in the same district.

The head of Hengshan District, Jiang Min, and a deputy head, Dong Enyi, were dismissed from their posts, according to the Jixi City Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Investigations showed both the mines had been ordered to halt production for safety checks, but the mine owners violated the orders and started illegal production.

Several managers and mine owners who bear partial or total responsibility for the blasts have disappeared. Officials from China's State Administration of Work Safety have arrived in Jixi for further investigation.