Nine officials have been sacked or received disciplinary penalties for failing to prevent a fake milk powder scandal which led to 13 deaths and malnutrition of 189 babies in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, according to related supervision departments.

Three top city officials have received warnings for dereliction of duty, including Fuyang's mayor Liu Qingqiang and two vice mayors, Ma Mingye and Du Changping, who took charge of market supervision work and health work respectively.

Zhou Yunlian, the city government's deputy secretary-general, also got severe disciplinary punishment and was dismissed.

Five other officials, all top cadres with the city's industrial and commercial bureau or health bureau, were either dismissed from their posts or given disciplinary penalties. Some are likely to face legal punishment depending on further investigation in corruption.

The punishments came after a probe by the State Council, which found that Fuyang officials failed to thoroughly investigate the widespread sales of fake milk powder after an initial complaint in May 2003. The scandal did not break until April this year.

The cases sparked a national outcry and rang alarms for consumers on the rampant problem of counterfeit and inferior goods in China.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2004)