07/27/2015, 00.00
CHINA
Send to a friend

Heilongjiang, six miners rescued after a week; five still underground; four dead

The incident occurred at the Xuxiang mine, which produces 150 thousand tons of coal per year. In 2014 there were only 931 deaths in coal mine accidents. Many are the result of private and state representatives’ corruption.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Six miners were rescued today after a week spent in the flooded tunnels of a mine in Hegang, Heilongjiang Province. Another five miners are still trapped underground, and other four are dead.

According to Xinhua, the mine was flooded on July 20, due to heavy rains, trapping 15 miners. The Xuxiang mine, where the accident occurred, is in private hands, and produces 150 thousand tons of coal a year.

China -- the world's largest producer of coal -- is grappling to improve standards in the under-regulated sector. According to official statistics, accidents in Chinese coal mines killed 931 people last year. The official number of mining fatalities is declining but some rights groups argue the actual figures are significantly higher due to under-reporting. Many accidents are caused by corrupt bosses seeking profits over worker safety.  Often the mine owner is the State itself.

 

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Mining executives to go down into the mines
07/11/2005
Lifeless bodies of 33 miners recovered from Chongqing coal mine
02/11/2016 09:06
Two managers condemned for death of 166 miners in Shaanxi
30/11/2006
2,900 die in Chinese mines over 8 months
26/09/2006
Illegal mines will be closed or blown up to prevent further accidents
22/08/2005


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”