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Date: 21 Mar 2005 19:31:36 -0000
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Subject: China mine blast death toll rises
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Rebuilding China
in the middle of Mecca
Monday 21.03.2005, CET 19:30
March 20, 2005 12:45 PM
China mine blast death toll rises
BEIJING (Reuters) - Rescue workers have found the bodies of 59 miners killed in a gas explosion in a northern Chinese coal
mine, and are still searching for 10 miners trapped underground, the official Xinhua news agency has said.
Two miners were rescued after Saturday's blast at the Xishui Colliery near the city of Shuozhou in Shanxi province, a major
coal-producing region, the China News Service said.
Police detained four owners of the mine after the latest tragedy to strike the world's deadliest mining industry for
disregarding an order in November to suspend production due to safety problems, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Built in 1993, the mine was licensed to have an annual output of 150,000 tonnes, but it was ordered to suspend production in
November due to safety problems, Xinhua quoted an official with the provincial mine supervision office as saying.
"In defiance of the order, however, mine owners have restarted production this year," the official said.
China's top leaders, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, have "demanded relevant departments try their best to
save the trapped and instructed rescuers to pay attention to their own safety", Xinhua said.
Many mine operators, lured by potential profits amid a chronic, nation-wide power shortage, have opted to keep unsafe
mines running, often resulting in tragedy.
Saturday's explosion came just two days after a blast in a coal mine in the southwestern city of Chongqing killed at least 18
miners.
China's coal mines are the world's deadliest. Last year, more than 6,000 miners were killed in explosions and accidents.
After a string of recent mine disasters, including the worst in half a century that killed 214 people in February, Beijing
pledged earlier this month to spend more than 50 billion yuan (3.14 billion pounds) in the coming years to improve safety.
China's fast-growing economy relies on coal for most of its energy needs, and mines have tried to crank up production as
prices soar amid booming demand.
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