Ya'an official being probed for 'violations'

Xu Mengjia, former secretary of the Party committee of Ya'an, Sichuan province, is under investigation for suspected "serious disciplinary violation," the Communist Party of China's (CPC) discipline inspection commission announced Tuesday on its website.

Xu was removed from his post as secretary of the CPC Ya'an committee in mid-November.

Xu became well-known nationwide in April when a China Central Television anchor abruptly interrupted his speech about how officials had been rushing to the rescue of a major earthquake in Ya'an that left nearly 200 people dead.

On April 29, nine days after the quake, Ya'an government announced that rumors of Xu's corruption were "fabricated."