Mine blast kills 19 in Chongqing
19/3/2005 8:28
Nineteen miners were confirmed dead yesterday following Thursday's
coal mine blast in the country's southwestern Chongqing
Municipality.
Nineteen miners were trapped after the blast occurred around
3pm on Thursday in the coal mine called Sulongsi at Xinzhen Town in the county
of Fengjie. The mine is located in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, said an
official with the county government.
"More than 100 people have taken part in
the rescue work and 37 rescuers are examining the situation in the coal mine,"
said an official with the rescue headquarters.
"We won't know the cause of
the explosion until the rescuers come out," the official told Xinhua on Thursday
night, adding the gas intensity in the mine was very high.
Thousands of
Chinese coal miners are killed each year in explosions, fires and floods.
Investigators often blame indifference to safety rules or lack of equipment,
such as gas-clearing ventilators.
More than 6,000 Chinese miners were killed
in accidents and explosions last year.
Elsewhere, 11 ministries and
institutes under the central government have established a coordination office
to stem the country's rampant coal mine accidents.
"To control gas explosions
is not a job that can be done alone. It needs wisdom and strength from various
aspects charged by different ministries," said Zhang Guobao, vice minister of
the National Development and Reform Commission.
The office will send safety
groups to the site of 45 mine explosions, set up teams to conduct safety
assessments for the disaster-plagued mines and oversee the allocation of 3
billion yuan (US$361 million) for safety improvement projects, according to
Zhang.
The general Administration of Work Safety, the Ministry of Science and
Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security,
the Ministry of Land and Resources, the People's Bank of China, the State-owned
Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Environmental
Protection Administration and the State Development Bank are all involved in the
office.
Xinhua
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