The death toll from Saturday's fire in five iron mines in Shahe
City, Hebei
Province, has risen to 65, said Hu Chunxing, chief of the city
information office, on Wednesday. Rescue teams are continuing to
search for any others who may be trapped.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the fire began when
electric cables in one mine ignited and spread quickly to the four
other mines, which were all connected. Heavy smoke soon trapped
dozens of workers, while 51 others managed to escape.
Hu said the poor management of the mines made it difficult to
determine the precise number of people who were working when the
fire broke out, but estimates put the number at 116. More than 50
of the victims have been identified and their families are on their
way to the site.
On Wednesday, local police detained nine owners, legal
representatives and other executives responsible for operation of
the five mines, according to a report in Beijing's Star
Daily. The bank accounts of the suspects were also frozen.
The miners killed in the disaster, most of whom succumbed to
suffocation, were either locals or from underdeveloped Guizhou
Province in southwest China and Shaanxi Province in northwest
China.
Insurance companies have begun to arrange to pay compensation to
the beneficiaries of the miners who had insurance policies.
(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2004)