Ten Killed in Coal Mine AccidentTen people were killed and four others badly injured in a coal mine accident on Thursday night in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province in South China.Preliminary analysis by local police revealed that at 17:30 pm. on November 23 there was a gas explosion caused by sparks from a winch plant switch located under Shuangqing Coal Mine. The injured have been taken to hospitals. Officials in charge of coal mine safety are now at the mine for further investigation into the cause of the accident. Without a production certificate from the government, the Shuangqing coal mine is an illegal one. The owner of the mine fled following the accident. Statistics from a local department, which supervises coal production, show that 46 people have been killed in 6 accidents in State-owned coal mines and small illegally-operated mines inHunan since September this year. Operation of all the township-run coal mines in Hunan has been ordered to suspend until they pass safety examinations by local government departments, according to an announcement from Shaoyang city. |
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