Negligence led to the coal mine gas blast that killed 83 miners in Fukang City of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday.
The remarks were made by Song Airong, vice chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous regional government and also deputy head of the group investigating the explosion, at a function held in Fukang yesterday to launch a new task team for investigation of coal mine mishaps.
Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, revealed that the focus of investigators' efforts following the gas blast would be shifted from on-the-spot rescue operation to investigating the cause.
The gas explosion took place around 2:30am on Monday in Shenlong Coal Mine of Fukang City, 62 kilometers from Urumqi, the regional capital, when 87 people were working underground. Only four of them survived the accident.
As of yesterday, rescuers had found the remains of 83 miners.
China's work safety watchdog has blamed the blast on a number of safety loopholes, including overproduction, lack of work safety license and bad management.
The Shenlong Coal Mine, situated on the southern fringe of the Junggar Basin, is a joint-stock mining business founded in 2001, with a maximum verified production capacity of 30,000 tons a year.
The mine reportedly turned out at least 170,000 tons of coal in the first half of the year alone.
(Xinhua)