Fifty-eight mine workers have died within six days in a series of
unrelated gas explosions at mines that the government had already
slated for closure in north China's
Shanxi
Province.
The most recent explosion came on Sunday, when 14 miners died in
Xiangyu Mine in the city of Jincheng. Six of the dead were from
Shanxi and eight were from other provinces, said Lu Xishan, the
local director of worker safety.
In
the city of Datong, another 14 workers are still buried in the
Daquanwan Mine after gas blast on Saturday.
Witnesses there said rescue efforts have been fruitless and are
difficult because there is no electricity at the mine.
Another explosion on Thursday killed 33 miners at the Podi Mine in
Jiaocheng County.
And the death toll of a Wednesday explosion at Qingyu Mine in
Yuxian County has hit 11. Rescue work continued, officials
said.
"Those mines have all been on the government's list to stop
production because of their small capacities and flawed safety
measures," said Zhao Gejin, an official with State Administration
of Coal Mine Safety Supervision. "But coal prices have risen
recently, so the mine owners turned deaf ears to government
orders.''
Zhao said the average price of coal per ton has risen by 50 yuan
(US$6) since cold weather moved into the region.
Shanxi is not the only place plagued by mining woes. A dozen miners
have been trapped in Zhangqiu since Saturday as water flooded the
Langgou Mine in east China's Shandong Province.
Rescue work is continuing there, and officials refused to detail
the accident or possible death toll.
(China
Daily November 20, 2001)