Police in Yulin, a resource-rich city in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, have detained eight people responsible for Saturday's violent clash at a coal mine that left dozens injured.

A worker who was injured in a violent clash at the Shandong Coal Mine in Yulin, Shaanxi province, on Saturday. [China Daily]

The eight suspects, some of who are residents of Fanhe village in Hengshan county while others workers at the Shandong Coal Mine, have been accused of masterminding the violence that involved almost 200 people, a spokesman with the Yulin city government said on Monday.

More than 100 villagers, armed with shovels and other tools, entered the mining area at 8 am on Saturday. They smashed the gates leading to the main shafts and other mine facilities in a bid to stop production, he said.

The mine's management mobilized more than 70 workers to drive the villagers away, he said.

The two sides ended up clashing as they attacked each other with bricks and stones.

Liu Shuyuan, deputy director of information department of the county's Party committee, said a total of 87 people, of whom 63 were villagers of Fanhe village and 24 were miners, were injured in the clash.

"As of now, 24 people have been discharged from the hospital. Six people are seriously injured and are undergoing treatment. Medical experts have been called in from Xi'an (the province's capital) to help with the treatment," Liu told China Daily.

Operations at the mine were suspended on Saturday and its bank account was frozen. The mine's management is also under review.

According to an initial probe, the clash was a result of an old dispute over the ownership of the mine.

The Shandong Coal Mine, which employs 210 people who produce 300,000 tons of coal annually, was founded in 1995 as a collectively-owned entity by the residents of Fanjiahe village.

A shortage of capital forced the villagers to look outside for funds and Li Zhao, a businessman from Shandong province, invested as a partner.

When Li renewed the mine's license in 2000, he changed the business into a private firm.

The villagers demanded the authorities nullify the change and dragged the provincial land and resources department to court.

A court in Yulin ruled in favor of the villagers in 2005 and declared the new license null and void. The provincial higher court backed the ruling in 2007.

The dispute between the villagers and mine authorities escalated after Li and his team failed to respond to the court ruling, the Yulin city government spokesman said.

Wang Xizhou, a lawyer representing the villagers, said it was illegal that the provincial land and resources department denied an effective court verdict.

Professor Tan Qiugui at the China University of Political Science and Law said an administrative department should never be permitted to challenge the authority of the judiciary.

"Only by giving administrative and judicial punishment to those responsible can the country prevent such cases from reoccurring and safeguard social stability," Tan said.