Death toll from China mine blast rises to 104:
media
HEGANG, China (AFP) - – The death toll from China's deadliest
coal mine blast in two years has climbed to 104, local authorities
said early Monday, according to state media.
The state-run Xinhua news agency said four workers were still
trapped in the mine shaft at Hegang city in northeast China.
The explosion early Saturday tore through the state-run mine in
Heilongjiang province near the Russian border, one of the largest
and oldest in China, after a build-up of gas, survivors said.
The explosion occurred when a total of 528 miners were in the
pit, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.
Local news reports said the blast was felt 10 kilometres (six
miles) away.
The accident was the worst in energy-hungry China's notoriously
dangerous mining industry since an explosion killed 105 miners in
Shanxi province in December 2007.
On Saturday, President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
issued orders to take all measures to rescue workers at Hegang,
while Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang was dispatched to the mine to
oversee the operation, state media said.
The head, deputy head and chief engineer of the mine, which is
run by the majority state-owned Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding
Group, have been removed from their posts, the China News Service
said.
The director of the work safety administration is to lead an
investigation into the blast, it added.
China's state prosecutor will also launch a probe to determine
whether criminal negligence led to the disaster, China Central
Television said.
The mine produces 1.45 million tonnes of coal a year. The
company ranked 12th out of China's top 100 mining companies and
seventh in terms of production volume in 2009, according to its
website.
China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people
dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.
Chronology: Major accidents in Chinese mines
Its coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with
safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the
drive to meet surging demand for coal -- the source of about 70
percent of China's energy.
Official figures show that more than 3,200 workers died in
collieries last year. But independent labour groups say the actual
figure could be much higher, as accidents are often covered up to
avoid costly mine shutdowns.
On Sunday, the provincial work safety bureau vowed to step up a
reform of the industry and shut down small inefficient mines in the
Heilongjiang region, Xinhua news agency said.