Zhao Tiechui, head of the State Administration of
Coal Mine Safety Supervision, said on Saturday the total number of
miners underground at the time of the blast at Dongfeng Coal Mine
in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang was "close to
300."
Initially, the figure for miners underground at the
time of the accident was put at 159. It quickly went up to 221,
then to 241, 242 and 243.
By press time last night, 73 had been rescued but
at least 167 were reported to have been killed. Two other workers
above the ground also died.
Zhao was speaking at a working conference that
marked the setting-up of a high-profile investigation team, led by
him, into the November 27 accident.
"The management of the colliery was extremely
confused," said Zhao. "Attendance registration, lamp issuing and
security checks on miners were in a complete mess."
Four mining accidents on Friday had killed 18
people and left 45 missing as of yesterday.
Explosions ripped through two separate coal mines
in the southwestern province of Guizhou on Friday morning. Sixteen
miners were killed and 15 rescued, with three still missing
yesterday.
Also that morning, a cave-in at a coal mine in
Fanchang County in the city of Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province,
trapped?10 miners at 6 AM, according to the local government
today.
Eight managed to escape but the bodies of the
remaining two were found seven hours later.
A fourth colliery, this time in the central
province of Henan, was flooded on Friday night leaving 42 miners
missing. Eight pumps were still in operation yesterday at Sigou
Coal Mine to drain around 3,000 cubic meters of water.
Jin Changsong, the mine owner, went missing after
the accident along with several of his managers, Xinhua News Agency
reported, and the privately-run mine has no safety license.
(
China Daily, Xinhua News Agency December 5,
2005)