China has shut down more than 70 percent of its first 5,000
collieries to be announced unsafe, a senior official in charge of
the country's coal mine safety said on Tuesday.
"China will step up efforts to close down those small coal mines
without a safe production license," said Wang Shuhe, deputy
director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety
Supervision.
According to a statement issued in 2005 by the State Council,
China's cabinet, more than 5,000 small dangerous collieries had to
be closed before the end of 2005.
Due to various factors, however, some small problematic coal
mines are still operating across the country, said Wang, noting
that those left must be shut down by the end of March.
To close such small collieries is aimed at improving the safety
conditions and changing the structure of China's coal-mining
industry, he said.
Wang was on an inspection tour for coal mine safety in north
China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where an explosion at a
privately-run colliery in the region's Wuhai City occurred at 3:25
AM. on Monday, killing at least 18 of its 34 miners working
underground.
(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2006)
