Six local officials had received Party discipline punishment after 11 school girls were killed by gas poisoning in northwest China's Shaanxi Province last December, local authorities said.

The Yulin municipal government decided on Wednesday to give Party discipline punishment to the six officials, including Jia Feng, deputy chief of Dingbian County.

Jia was kicked out of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China's Dingbian County Committee. The county Party committee has also proposed to dismiss Jia from the position of deputy county chief.

Mao Xin, former director of the county's education bureau, was demoted.

Four township officials received warning or other discipline punishment.

The 12 fourth-grade girls at Duiziliang Middle School in Duiziliang Township were poisoned to death when using a charcoal heater to warm their dorm room on Dec. 2.

Zhao Binghong, former schoolmaster, was arrested with his deputy and a teacher.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2009)