ZHENGZHOU -- Mayors in Central China's Henan province will be fired if an accident at a coal mine under their watch kills more than 50 people, according to a new policy issued by provincial authorities.

The move is the latest effort to strengthen coal mine safety in a major coal-producing province of China. Henan's output of coal reached 179 million tons last year, while 35 mining accidents killed 266 miners.

The new policy, a supplement to a set of coal mine safety rules issued in 2008, also says a mine boss should step down if anyone dies in a mining accident. The mine will then be immediately sealed for a safety overhaul.

Deadly coal mine accidents in recent years in China have prompted authorities to take a series of measures to strengthen supervision over mine operation safety.

According to the State Administration of Work Safety, 2,433 people died in 1,403 mining accidents in 2010. The death toll, however, was down 7.5 percent from a year earlier.