In 53,173 accidents throughout China in October 9,007 people
lost their lives the country's safety supervisory body said Monday
on its website.
The death toll was down 9.7 percent or 964 less than October
last year and the number of accidents dropped by 9.8 percent which
is 5,769 less than October of 2005, according to the State
Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).
The administration said 529 people were killed in 130 major
accidents throughout China last month. These figures are down 12
and 12.8 percent respectively from the same month a year ago.
SAWS said coal mine accidents rose sharply since early October
with 345 people killed in 174 such accidents in October. The
figures are up 44.4 and 26.1 percent respectively from
September.
They attributed the increase of coal mine accidents during
production to an overly relaxed management style. Coal mine safety
was a "serious" problem facing the industry, SAWS said. ?
Last Sunday 17 miners were killed in a gas explosion at a
coalmine in north China's Shanxi Province and another 30 remain
missing.
SAWS Director Li Yizhong and head of the State Administration of
Coal Mine Safety Li Tiechui went to the scene to assist organize
rescue operations.
A gas blast at a coal mine in northeast China's Jilin Province on Saturday left seven miners
dead. On October 31 a gas explosion at a coal mine in northwest
China's Gansu Province claimed the lives of 29 people.
On October 5 a gas blast killed 10 miners at a coal mine in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.
China's mining industry is the deadliest in the world. Each year
approximately 6,000 people are killed in explosions, floods,
collapses or other accidents.
(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2006)