A gas explosion in a coal mine in northwest China's Shaanxi
Province has killed seven miners and injured three others, the
local mine safety regulator said yesterday.
The blast took place at Majiahe Coal Mine in Weinan City at 7:30
PM on Monday as 22 miners were working underground, said Gao
Xinghong, director of Weinan’s Colliery Safety Supervision
Bureau.
Twelve miners managed to get out of the mine and the three
injured are out of danger, the local government said yesterday.
The privately-owned colliery, with an annual production capacity
of 60,000 tons, had had an overdue production license, said
Gao.
"The license had expired by this October, which means its
production over the past one and half months has been illegal,"
said Gao, adding the mine owner has been detained by police.
All collieries in Chengchen County, where the mine is located,
have been ordered to halt operations pending safety inspections,
said Gao.
Yesterday, a State Council team was set up in Xin'an, Henan
Province to investigate the coal mine flooding accident that has
claimed at least 35 lives there.
The flooding at the unlicensed, privately-run Sigou Coal Mine
occurred at 11:40 PM on December 2. Seventy-six miners were working
underground at the time, and only 34 escaped. Rescuers have still
to locate seven trapped miners.
An initial investigation suggested that though the mine was
unlicensed local supervision officials had turned a blind eye
toward it.
(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2005)