35 killed in north China colliery gas blast
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-13 13:59
Taiyuan -- The death toll from a colliery blast in north
China last week has soared to 35 while 12 people remain missing, rescuers
confirmed on Monday.
Search and rescue teams found
12 bodies early on Monday in the Jiaojiazhai Colliery in Xinzhou, a city in the
central northern area of Shanxi Province, where a gas explosion occurred at
11:45 am on November 5.
The death toll stood at
23 on Sunday.
Altogether 393 miners were working in
the pit when the blast occurred, of whom 346 escaped.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing though rescuers
believe the remaining 12 miners have little chance of survival, given the high
intensity of toxic gas and serious cave-ins following the blast.
Families of the dead will each receive 200,000
yuan (US$25,000) in compensation. Seven families have been compensated so far.
Jiaojiazhai Colliery is owned by Xuangang Coal and
Electricity Company under the Datong Coal Mine Group.
The State Council, the cabinet, set up an investigation
team on Friday to investigate the tragedy.
Though
the direct cause is still under investigation, the central government task force
said it probably stemmed from ignorance of workplace safety and poor management.
Li Yizhong, head of the State Administration of
Work Safety who is heading the task force, said he was "shocked to see
long-existing and serious hidden dangers in the mine and how poorly informed the
miners were".
Li vowed to severely punish the
individuals and company responsible for the accident, and urged all coal mine
owners in the country to learn a lesson.
Analysts
said the accident was a warning of a possible surge of coal mine disasters as
the demand for black coal rises in winter.
In
October, the number of coal mine accidents surged by 26.1 percent over
September. The number of miners killed rose by 44.4 percent.
The "infinite greed" of some mine owners, driven by the
growing demand of the winter coal market, was the ultimate cause of the
disasters, said Wu Jianming, professor with Taiyuan University of Science and
Technologies.
"Winter is hell for miners. Some of the small, hazardous mines
that have been closed will probably resume production in the winter regardless
of the threat to life," said Wu, who also works for the State Administration of
Work Safety as a consultant.
|
| Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours |
|
|
|