Over the weekend the State Council's investigative group
officially began its inquiry into the cause of the Chenjiashan
coalmine gas blast.
Zhao Tiechui, deputy director of the State Administration of
Work Safety and head of the disaster's investigation group, said
his team intends to find out the cause of the accident, precisely
what happened and the direct economic losses. The group will also
identify responsibility, propose precautionary measures, and name
persons responsible.
"It is the worst disaster in China's coal industry in 44 years,
after the gas explosion which killed 187 miners on November 28,
1960 in the Longshanmiao coalmine in Pingdingshan, Henan Province,"
Zhao said at the group's meeting on Friday.
The Chenjiashan gas blast took place in the early morning of
November 28 in Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province, and took 166 lives.
Over the past few days, the group has guided rescue work and
collected information regarding the mine's design and production
and safety plans, Zhao said.
At present, 35 bodies have been recovered, but searching for
others had to be stopped due to four new underground blasts on
December 2, said Huo Shichang, spokesman for the disaster rescue
headquarters.
"Fortunately, the blasts did not harm any of the 61 rescuers
underground, but again destroyed the just-recovered ventilation
system," Huo said at a news briefing on Friday.
Zhang Tiegang, an expert from the Chinese Academy of
Engineering, who headed the accident group, said at the briefing
that the four blasts were caused by flames underground and the best
way for rescue work to continue is to pour water into the
tunnel.
Last Friday, industrial safety authorities of Hebei Province
said that flames from electric welding caused the iron ore mine
fire that claimed 68 lives in Shahe on November 20.
Initial investigations indicated that the flames ignited some
timbers in the tunnel in one mine and soon spread to four connected
mines.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2004)