Death toll in China coal-mine explosion rises to 111

Asian Economic News, June 24, 2002

BEIJING, June 21 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH RISE IN DEATH TOLL)

A gas explosion in a coal mine in China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province on Thursday has left at least 111 people dead, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Another four people were still missing as of Friday noon, while 24 miners have been rescued, Xinhua said, quoting local government officials.

Xinhua said 139 miners were working inside the Chengzihe mine in Jixi, a city located some 290 kilometers east of Harbin near the Russian border, when the explosion occurred at 9:45 a.m. Thursday.

The mine reportedly has 5,500 workers, producing 1.1 million tons of coal annually.

The China Daily on its Web site quoted officials as saying it was not immediately clear what triggered the explosion, which occurred deep in the mine.

China's coal-mine safety bureau ordered an immediate halt to production in 10 mines under Jixi's administration, it said.

More than 5,000 coal miners are reportedly killed each year in China, which has the world's biggest mining industry.

But many mine-related deaths go unreported as mine operators fear being prosecuted by the authorities, leaving some to believe that annual mining deaths exceed the 10,000 mark.

The government has tried to shut down thousands of small, illegal mines in China that do not meet safety standards.

In April this year, explosions in two coal mines in Jixi on the same day killed 31 miners and injured dozens more.