Wan Ruizhong, ex-county party chief in south-western Guangxi, was found guilty of taking bribes from mine bosses to conceal the 2001 accident.

The flooding at Lajiapo mine was not reported for two weeks. Armed thugs were hired to keep reporters away.

Wan, the local governor and another party official were all convicted of plotting to conceal the disaster.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Wan was put to death in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi.

It did not say how the execution was carried out, but Chinese courts use either gunshot or lethal injection.

Wan was convicted of receiving 3.2m Yuan ($390,000) in an "especially serious" offence, said Xinhua.

National scandal

The execution comes two days after the Communist Party unveiled new rules to stamp out corruption in higher party ranks.

Events at Lajiapo mine caused a national scandal.

Unsuspecting miners broke through to an adjacent mine that was flooded, causing water to pour into their mine shaft.

Following an investigation, it emerged that the accident went unreported for two weeks after mine bosses bribed local government officials and survivors to stay silent. Journalists were said to have been threatened on at least one occasion.

Government officials put the death toll at 81; although local media said as many as 400 people were working in the mine at the time and almost all would have died.

The accident "was the direct result of mismanagement, illegal mining and poorly-conducted explosions," Xinhua reported. "Local government and mine officials managed to cover up the accident for two weeks."

Wan's appeal was rejected by the Guangxi high people's court. State television showed him on Friday looking resigned as sentence was passed, reported Reuters news agency.