The survivors have been admitted to hospital in serious conditions. Despite Beijing's campaign to improve occupational safety, the slaughter of miners continues.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) A blast in a colliery in eastern China yesterday killed 15 miners and seriously injured another 12, the official Chinese agency, Xinhua, reported today.
The incident took place in Shandong province, in a mine owned by the Zaozhuang Group. The name and exact location of the area were not publicly named: the only detail supplied was that "only" 27 people were working underground when the blast went off.
The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment and an investigation is underway.
Yesterday's blast was only the last in a series of mine accidents which continued unabated despite government efforts and initiatives. Official sources say that as part of a national occupational safety campaign launched by Beijing, the government has closed 4,876 illegal pits and has identified 952 officials holding mine shares in defiance of a Community Party ban. The shares are worth a total value of 156 million yuan (more than 15 million euros).
Across the country, accidents actually increased in 2005 (+ 8.5% in the first nine months of the year compared to 2004, according to official statistics) and the worst accidents in the last 50 years took place.
In early December, at least 169 miners were killed in a blast in Dongfeng mine in Heilonjiang. A year ago, 220 people were killed in Sunjiawan mine in Liaoning.