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34 miners killed in Henan coal pit explosion
By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-04 07:08
Thirty-four miners were killed in a gas explosion in the early hours of
yesterday at a State-owned coal mine in Hebi, a city in Central China's Henan
Province.
A miner is saved
and lifted out of the coal mine shaft in Xiangtan, Hunan Province December
14, 2004. [newsphoto]
| The accident occurred
at 4:45 am when 53 miners were working underground at the No 38 pit of Mine 2 of
the Hebi Coal Industry (Group) Corporation Ltd, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The 34 miners were found dead after the gas was ignited, while another 19
scrambled to safety.
"Considering the damage of a gas explosion, the possibility of any survivors
underground is slim," said a local official, who only gave his surname, Xiao.
Zhao Tiechui, director of the State Coal Mine Safety Supervision
Administration, went to the scene yesterday.
Senior provincial government officials, including Henan Provincial Party
Secretary Xu Guangchun and Vice-Governor Shi Jichun, also went to supervise the
rescue and investigation.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
As the largest State-owned coal mine in Hebi, the company consists of eight
production mines and generates an output of more than 7 million tons a year.
Mine 2 has 3,800 employees.
The accident renewed questions over the safety of coal production in Henan
Province.
On October 20, 2004, a gas explosion in the Daping Coal Mine of Pingmo County
in the city of Xinmi killed 148 people and injured 32.
By August 31, 17 people had been killed this year in 13 accidents in
State-owned collieries and small mines in Henan, according to statistics from
the provincial Division of the State Coal Mine Safety Supervision
Administration.
The latest tragedy came amidst a nationwide crackdown on corruption to
prevent rampant coal mine accidents.
In late August, a harshly worded notice ordered local officials and State
company executives with investments in coal mines (not including shares in
coal-producing public firms) to withdraw their money by September 22.
By September 26, 497 officials and State company executives had withdrawn
investments in coal mines.
(China Daily 10/04/2005 page1)
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 | | | Coal mine explosion kills 34 | | |  | | | Typhoon Longwang hits Taiwan | | |  | | | National Day "Golden Week" holiday | | |
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