Preliminary investigation indicates that the fatal coal mine blast
that killed 115 people in Jixi last Thursday was caused by a
ventilation failure that was the result of human error.
"We are seeking the direct cause of the blast, and endeavoring to
pinpoint its exact location," said Huang Yi, spokesman for the
State Administration of Work Safety Supervision.
The spokesman said breaches of safety procedures led to the
ventilation failure, which apparently caused the accumulation of
the explosive gas.
The 24 injured people were in stable condition, Huang said at a
press conference held yesterday in Jixi in Heilongjiang Province of
Northeast China.
Zhao Wenlin, the general manager of the Jixi Mining Group, was
confirmed dead. Zhao was inspecting work in the pit when the
explosion occurred, local sources said.
Local sources said 109 bodies have been brought out of the mine,
some burned beyond recognition.
Xinhua quoted Li Chunxiang, an official with the Jixi Mining Group,
as saying that by Saturday, 48 bodies, including that of Zhao
Wenlin, had been identified. DNA technology will be used in
identifying the badly burned victims.
Five rescue teams were dispatched to the pit immediately after the
accident. Twenty-four people were rescued and hospitalized on
Thursday.
In
a separate development, two people were killed and nine others are
still missing in coal mine in Shaodong County in Central China's
Hunan Province, where a mine shaft was flooded with water that
broke through a facing.
(China
Daily June 24, 2002)