|
42 killed, 21 missing in two mine accidents
By Guan Xiaofeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-08 05:46
At least 42 people were killed and 21 missing in two mining accidents in
North China on Sunday one day before the authorities decreed that a senior
manager has to accompany coal miners underground on every shift.
A gypsum-mine collapse in Hebei Province claimed the lives of 27 with 20
missing on Sunday evening.
A house is seen destroyed by a gypsum-mine
collapse in Xingtai, Hebei Province. [Xinhua] |
The accident happened at 7:40 pm at Kangli Gypsum Mine of Shangwang Village
in Xingtai, according to the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).
It also triggered the collapse of two adjacent gypsum mines, Taihang Mine and
Linwang Mine. A two-storey residential building and several one-storey
structures also collapsed.
The safety watchdog said none of the three privately-owned mines had passed
safety tests and had been ordered to stop production before the accident.
Rescuers are continuing efforts to save the miners who are still trapped
underground at the Kangli mine. They had saved 16 people and pulled out 27
bodies by yesterday evening.
In Shanxi Province, a coal mine blast killed 15 miners on Sunday morning in
Qingxu County near Taiyuan, the provincial capital. One miner is missing.
The SAWS said 25 miners were working underground at Taiping Coal Mine when
the accident happened, and nine managed to escape. The township pit has a
complete set of official licences and safety certificates.
To tackle the country's woeful safety record, the SAWS and the National
Development and Reform Commission yesterday ordered coal mine owners and
managers to go with miners underground on every shift.
Their primary job would be to discover and deal with any potential dangers
before they turn into a disaster.
"It must be ensured that at least one member of the management is on the spot
on every shift, and they should come and go with workers," the document said.
Local safety watchdogs were ordered to supervise the implementation of the
policy.
Last week, the authorities announced that 4,578 officials had been found to
have invested 653 million yuan (US$81 million) in coal mines after the State
declared a crackdown on collusion between local officials and coal mine owners.
A total of 2,672 Chinese coal miners were killed in accidents during the
first six months of the year, slightly more than in the same period last year,
according to the SAWS.
The worst accident this year was a mine blast in February which killed 214
miners in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. A pit flood killed 121 workers in
South China's Guangdong Province in August.
(China Daily 11/08/2005 page1)
|
