Five people have been detained for their dereliction of duty over a deadly colliery blast which occurred on Dec. 9 in 2004 in Yuxian County in Yangquan City, north China's Shanxi Province.

Three managing staff, Cui Guiyin, Chen Jinhai and Wang Wenfang, reportedly had resorted to an improper mining technique which triggered the disaster due to poor ventilation.

Two others in charge of safety monitoring supervision, Jia Shijun and Wang Shiying, allegedly failed to spot the danger timely and were also held accountable for the tragedy, according to a local procurator's office.

The accident, which claimed 33 lives and injured 24 others, took place at a colliery with an annual production capacity of approximately 150,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2005)