85 die in three days at China coal mines
28/11/2006 14:04
Seven people were killed in a colliery accident in Southwest China
yesterday, bringing the death toll in coal mine tragedies since Saturday to 85
across the country.
Eleven workers who were sorting impurities from a
coal heap were buried when the heap collapsed at 9:47am at the Shuicheng Coal
Mine Group colliery, in mountainous province of Guizhou.
Seven workers
died and four were rescued, said the work safety administration in Liupanshui
city, where the mine group is located.
The cause of the accident is being
investigated.
In the past weekend, three mine disasters left at least 78
people dead. Investigations show coal miners continued production even after the
government ordered a halt to production at the three mines amid safety
concerns.
Twenty-two miners were confirmed dead and five others missing
in Saturday's gas blast in Yuanhua Coal Mine in Jixi, a city in northeastern
Heilongjiang Province.
Three managers responsible for the blast have been
arrested, said local police. An investigation found that at the end of August,
the local government ordered the mine to halt production due to an outdated work
safety license, but the owners continued production.
In another tragedy,
32 miners were killed and 28 injured in a colliery gas explosion at Changyuan
Coal Mine in Fuyuan, a county in southwestern Yunnan
Province.
Investigators found the mine owners started production at the
Chuangyuan mine before receiving all required licenses.
A third gas blast
on Sunday hit Luweitan Colliery in Linfen city, North China's coal-rich province
of Shanxi, killing all 24 miners underground, the local government said
yesterday.
Xinhua news
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