Vice mayor of Beijing given warning for dereliction of duty in fatal hospital fire

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A vice mayor of Beijing has been handed a punishment for neglecting his duties and failing to fulfill his responsibilities in a hospital fire in April that killed 29 people.

Jin Wei, also a standing committee member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee, was given a warning by the National Supervisory Commission (NSC), an official statement said on Wednesday.

According to an investigation launched by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the NSC, Jin, as the vice mayor in charge of health work, failed to fully implement the CPC Central Committee's instructions and requirements on work safety, and failed to pay sufficient attention to safety hazards at medical facilities in Beijing.

On the same day, it was announced that 41 public servants, including the heads of the CPC committee of Fengtai District and the district government, would receive due penalties for their acts of dereliction of duties in the fire.

Also, Chinese public security organs have launched a probe into 20 persons involved in the incident, including the president of the hospital. Procuratorial organs have approved the arrest of 19 of them.