Killing for coal in Kyrgyzstan

Killing for coal in Kyrgyzstan

13th January 2007

Little is heard about working conditions in central Asian mines. But two commissions set up by the Kyrgyzstan government have painted a picture of the republic's coal industry as appalling as that in much of China. Slaving for as little as US$10 a month (sic) workers are reportedly sometimes sent down the shafts without any prior training, safety equipment, lamps - or even helmets.

Officially thirty miners have died in accidents over the last three years - the latest in December 2006. However, the true figure is certainly much higher.

- And all this to produce only a quarter of a million tonnes of coal a year.