10 dead, one missing in China mine
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BEIJING, MAY 19 -
A gas explosion has rocked a coal mine in northern China, killing 10 miners and leaving one missing, state media reported Wednesday, citing work safety officials.
The blast took place on Tuesday at the mine in Shanxi province, the country's coal-producing heartland, the Xinhua news agency reported.
A total of 41 miners were in the pit at the time of the explosion. Thirty were brought to safety, the report said.
Rescue work was ongoing, and an investigation has been launched into the cause of the accident, it said.
The mine, owned by the Chentong Coal Industry Co., Ltd., had an annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes.
China's vast coal mining industry is notoriously accident-prone, with the government saying about 2,600 people died in accidents last year.
Safety concerns are widely ignored as China tries to satisfy surging demand for the fuel -- the source of about 70 percent of the country's energy.
In March, a flood at a huge unfinished coal mine in Shanxi left 153 workers trapped underground, but 115 were recovered alive in a rare rescue success for the industry.
The flood in Shanxi was seen as embarrassing for the government, which has touted a reform programme partly aimed at improving safety and shutting dangerous mines.
Posted on: 2010-05-19 12:51
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