Tanghsan (AsiaNews/Agencies) –  The death toll has risen to 87 and 21 others remain missing in an explosion on Wednesday at the Liuguantun coalmine in Kaiping district near the city of Tangshan, in China's northern province of Hebei, whilst on Thursday, a mine in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, was flooded trapping seven miners.

In Hebei, rescue workers continue excavating in cold weather to find survivors. Their efforts are hampered by high carbon monoxide levels approaching the explosion point.
It is unclear whether anyone is still alive and hope is fading fast because of the gas.

The Work Safety Administration had listed the mine among those with "low gas presence", but official sources confirmed that the accident was caused by gas, probably due to poor ventilation that led to high concentrations.

The Liuguantun colliery, which was not equipped with production and safety licences, produced more than 100,000 tonnes of coal since July, although it was technically still in the process of applying for them.

Police have arrested the owner who had tried to flee.

The mine was so poorly run that it is not known how many miners it employed. It is feared that unregistered workers might be buried.

Family members and relatives of miners gathered outside the mine yesterday desperate for news, but have been held back by police. They protested because of the lack of information about their loved ones.

Locals knew about the mine's poor safety record and, for this reason, they preferred not to work underground. A majority of miners came from some of the poorest provinces of China like Guizhou, Guangxi, Anhui, and Henan because of good salaries: 2-3,000 yuans per month.

National Safety Chief Li Yizhong announced six measures to curb coal mine disasters, including better enforcement of closure orders imposed on unauthorised or unsafe mines.

Coal mines with substandard safety facilities can also be closed to prevent owners from using maintenance and technology improvement as excuses to operate pits.

Experts note however that for years the government has been saying it was going to close illegal mines to little effect.

Despite Beijing's announcements that it was taking all necessary safety measures, the Liuguantun explosion was the fourth in a string of mine accidents during the past two weeks

For experts, the unending series of accidents shows the central government's inability to cope with the situation.

In late November, 171 workers were killed in a mine explosion in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang.

On December 2, flooding trapped 42 miners in Henan—rescue operations are still underway.

Another 16 miners were killed in an explosion in Guizhou province.

After these accidents, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said that his country's mining industry was "chaotic and with safety measures left unenforced".

Coal prices have skyrocketed as the economy booms and energy demands rise. According to official sources, many mines produce far beyond what safety standards should permit.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said some mining operations ignore work safety to meet production targets. Other mines are opened without proper work safety authorisation. Still, others are reopened even when central authorities have ordered their closure thanks to the complicity of local authorities who often have direct interests in local mining companies. (PB)