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BEIJING, Oct 05, 2005 -- AFX News - Europe
Two more mine accidents left at least 16 dead and 22 missing in China, state media said today, continuing a black week for the industry, which has been rattled by four deadly disasters this week alone. Six people were killed by an unknown gas at an illegal pit in northeast Liaoning province, Xinhua news agency reported. So far this week, four mine disasters have claimed the lives of at least 64 workers and left 22 others missing. Survivors are rarely found from the regular gas explosions that rock mines in China, but the chances of finding people alive in floods have proven to be be marginally better. Nine escaped from the molybdenum mine in the Gangtun township of Liaoning and were arrested, Xinhua said, while four were reported missing. Molybdenum is a silvery white metal used in making alloys and electrodes. While much of China was shut down for the National Day holiday week, the unrelenting demand for coal to drive the country's booming economy and rapid industrialisation forces many mines to remain open, around the clock. It is the voracious demand that results in so many accidents, with safety procedures ignored in the quest for profits. On Monday, 34 miners were killed and 19 injured in a gas explosion at a pit in the central province of Henan. The mine was operated by a large state-run enterprise -- the Henan Hebi Coal company -- but even it ignored safety procedures, government officials admitted. In a statement today, the National Bureau of Production Safety Supervision and Administration said problems existed in gas ventilation management and workplace management at the mine as well as production safety. According to the bureau, the Henan mine was operating with outdated equipment. It ordered the company, which had assets worth 4.6 bln yuan (567 mln usd) in 2004 and runs eight major mines with annual production at over 7 mln tons, to close all its pits to check safety equipment. The demands follow an order from Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday for mine bosses to do more to prevent accidents. His comments came after a gas blast in the northwest Xinjiang region at the privately-run Yateur mine, in which 14 workers died, according to Xinhua. China relies on coal for two-thirds of its energy needs and is not expected to shift significantly to other fuel sources for years to come. In an attempt to improve safety, China in August ordered 7,000 coal mines to suspend operations by the end of the year. But critics argue that shutdowns only exacerbate coal shortages and force mines elsewhere to increase capacity at the expense of safety. mp/sdm AFX News and the AFX Financial News logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited News Provided By |
