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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 21, 2001

Mine Accidents Killed 4,547 Persons in the First 10 Months

China's strengthening on coal-mine security has witnessed successive achievements in various aspects. However, last January to October found 2,378 mine accidents deprive 4,547 persons of their lives with the death toll down by 355 capita, being 7 percent lower as against the same period last year. More efforts should be made and small coalmines that fail to reach the standard of acceptable reliability will be closed down without exception.


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4,547 persons killed in 2,378 accidents

Last January to October found 2,378 mine accidents deprive 4,547 persons of their lives with the death toll down by 355 capita, being 7 percent lower as against the same period last year, said Huang Yi, spokesman for China National Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau at Tuesday's news briefing.

Achievements of security strengthening remarkable

China's strengthening on coal-mine security has witnessed successive achievements in various aspects, according to Huang.

By the end of October this year, 905 small coalmines of the 1,284 state-owned coalmines have been shut down. All the small coalmines have been closed with the exception of some in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Liaoning Provinces. Among the 33,977 township coalmines, 10,977 have been closed down. Except for the 2,940 small coalmines that had passed check for acceptance, all the others are still under lockout.

After years of efforts, the number of small coalmines in China decreased from 82,000 at the end of 1997 to the current 23,000, with the output down from 620 million tons in 1997 to 200 million tons or so.

Situation in some regions still severe

However, accidents took place repeatedly in some small coalmines in Guizhou, Hunan, Shandong and Shanxi Provinces recently. Especially in Shanxi, the province seeing the largest coal output in China, four serious or even exceptionally serious accidents erupted in succession in a short span of five days from November 14 to 18. Fifty-eight persons died with another 12 got injured. The most serious accident is the gas explosion happened in the Podi Coalmine in Tianningzhen of Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province on November 15. So far, 33 persons have been reported dead and 12 injured.

Measures to close down unqualified small mines for rectification were not implemented resolutely in all regions. Driven by local protectionism, some local governments failed to adopt an active attitude to fulfilling the measures to strictly close down small coalmines. Especially when the situation takes a turn for the better at the coal market, certain regions are in short of coal supply and the price of coal rises, some small coalmines, instigated by profits, furtively restore production without authorization, Huang said.

Local governments urged to work harder

Huang emphasized that China set in motion the nationwide overhaul on coal mining safety in November and efforts are being made to bring it assuredly to finish by the yearend. Small coalmines that fail to reach the standard of acceptable reliability will be closed down without exception.



China Issues Circular to Shut Down Small Coal Mines

To curb the recurrence of coal mine accidents, the State Council on June 14 issued an urgent circular demanding all state-owned small coal mines be shut right away and a stop put to coal mining by all township coal mines.

The circular asks that since issuance of the circular all state-owned coal mines stop operation and be closed before June 30. As for some provinces like Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang with a weighing task to that end, they should also shut down all small coal mines by the end of September. Meanwhile, all township coal mining will have to be suspended and thorough revamping work carried out before getting back to normal operation.


By PD Online staff member Du Minghua
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