China: world's most dangerous mines claim further victims
Published by MAC on 2009-05-18In two coal mine disasters, over as few days, last week at least twenty one Chinese miners went to their deaths.
11 die of asphyxiation in Chinese coal mine
Associated Press
16th May 2009
BEIJING - Eleven miners died of asphyxiation Saturday while doing construction work in a coal mine in northern China, authorities said.
A duty officer at the State Administration of Work Safety said six people were also injured in the accident in the shaft on the outskirts of the city of Shuozhou in Shanxi province. The Xinhua News Agency said four escaped unharmed, but it only put the injured toll at two.
Inspectors were on their way to the scene to determine the cause of the accident, said the officer, who like many Chinese officials would give only his surname, Zhang. He said no other information was available.
No details were given about the injuries and calls to the local Suozhou work safety bureau rang unanswered.
China's mining industry remains the world's deadliest, despite government promises to improve mining safety.
Xinhua said the mine was run by Zheneng Majialiang, a division of the Datong Coal Mine Group.
Ten dead in China coal mine blast: State media
Zee News
15th May2009
Beijing - Ten miners were killed when a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in southwest China on Friday, state press reported.
The early morning blast occurred in the privately-owned Chashan Coal Mine in Yunnan province when 13 miners were working underground, Xinhua news agency said.
Three of the miners escaped, it said, adding that an investigation into the blast was ongoing.
No other details were immediately available.
China's coal mines are notoriously dangerous. Official figures show that more than 3,200 workers died in collieries last year, but independent observers say the actual figure could be much higher, as many accidents are covered up.