The Zhejiang provincial government Thursday agreed to the resignation of Mayor Zhang Rengui of Haining city over a worship house fire in Haining city.

The tragedy occurred at 2:15 p.m. on Feb. 15 this year at a shed-turned-temple built with straw and bamboo at Wufeng village, killing 40 women ranging from 40 to 84 years old. Police investigation said negligence and cult-like superstitious activities were to blame for the accident.

The provincial government also announced the penalty for other officials on the same day.

Feng Shuihua, secretary of the Haining City Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was given a disciplinary warning.

Song Xinhua, secretary of the Huangwan Town CPC Committee, was removed from all party posts and was suggested to be dismissed as chairman of the People's Congress of Huangwan Town.

Xu Linhai, head of Huangwan Town and deputy secretary of the Huangwan Town CPC Committee, was dismissed from all party posts and was suggested to be removed from the post of town head.

Ping Jianhua and Zhu Fujin, leading officials of Wufeng Village, were both placed on one-year probation within the party.

The provincial government asked all-level governments in Zhejiang to draw lessons from the accident and strengthen public safety construction in the rural areas.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2004)