Nine miners were killed and five others injured in a coal mine
gas blast in Fengcheng, a city in east China's Jiangxi
Province, on Monday, according to the local government
yesterday.
The accident occurred at about 8:00 PM at Changfeng Coal Mine in
Luoshi Town as 14 people were working underground. The bodies of
the nine dead were found on Tuesday.
The colliery, which belongs to Jiangxi Provincial Coal Group,
has been ordered to suspend production. Further investigations are
underway.?
Today is also the deadline for all government officials who have
invested in coal mines to withdraw their money, in line with a
document issued last month by the State Council, China's
cabinet.
The State Council announced yesterday that it is urging land and
resources departments across the country to upgrade management of
mineral exploration and mining operations in order to enhance
workplace safety and environmental protection.
"It is an important factor to achieve mining sector safety by
improving management and supervision," said Wang Min, vice minister
of land and resources, in Beijing. "Repeated disasters have exposed
many management loopholes in the sector, including poor safety
measures, old equipment and lax safety procedures."
The Ministry
of Land and Resources also launched hotlines yesterday
(010-6655-8889, 6655-8890) to collect tips on illegal mining
activities.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency September 22,
2005)