NEWS: China; Another Mining Explosion, 59 Dead, page 1

An explosion in a northern China coal mine has claimed the lives of 59 workers as rescue workers look for more victims. It is believed that at least 10 miners are missing. The explosion caused the walls of another nearby mine to collapse trapping another 20 miners. Police has detained the coal mines owners for questioning. One of the mines was operating in defiance of government orders.

ap.tbo.com
The blast occurred Saturday at the Xishui Colliery in Shuozhou, in a major coal-mining area in Shanxi province. Police have detained four coal mine owners, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xinhua reported that 59 bodies had been found by Sunday evening and rescue teams were trying to locate the trapped miners. It said 20 workers who were trapped had been from a neighboring mine whose wall collapsed from the impact.

Footage on state television showed rescue workers dressed in orange jumpsuits with oxygen tanks strapped to their backs rushing out from buses and officials looking at layout plans of the mines.

China Central Television said the ventilation system had been turned back on but did not give any other details.

Neither CCTV nor Xinhua said how many of the dead were in each of the two mines, or gave any details about the detention of the mine owners.

Xishui Colliery had been ordered to suspend production after safety problems last November, but work had resumed "in defiance of the order," Xinhua said, citing an unidentified official with the provincial coal mine supervision office.

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Sadly mining explosions is becoming common news, each with casualities. The Chinese mining industry is obviously in need of major reform especially when it comes to operating in safe conditions for its workers. In October of 2004, over 120 miners were killed, in November another incident claimed over 140 lives, and just recently in the beginning of March another incident claimed the lives of 16 miners.

Related ATS/ATSNN Thread
October 2004 Mining Incident
November 2004 Mining Incident
December 2004 Mining Incident
February 2005 Earthquake/Mining Incident
Early March 2005 Mining Incident

[edit on 3-20-2005 by worldwatcher]