The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Liang Jiakun, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, as saying that the national work safety situation in coal mines "remains grave" although the figures mark a 6.33 percent decrease, or 407 fewer fatalities, compared with 2003.
During a press conference in Beijing on 17 January, Liang said that the government "aims to reduce fatalities in coal mines by three percent this year" and will "try to eliminate any single coal mine accident causing 100 fatalities or more." A national emergency rescue command centre will be established to handle urgent rescue operations in the case of mining accidents.
Government statistics do not tell the whole story since many deaths are covered up or not recorded. Two major disasters claimed more than 200 miners' lives in October and November 2004 alone. On 28 November, 166 miners were killed in a gas explosion in Chenjiashan Coalmine in Tungchuan City, Shaanxi Province. Just a month earlier on 20 October, 148 miners were killed in a gas explosion in Daping Coalmine in Xinmi City, Henan Province.
Meanwhile, despite the government's words, mining accidents are still happening across the country. There have been more than thirty deaths in the first few weeks of this year already.
Ten miners were killed when a gas leak occurred in a coalmine in Chongqing Municipality on 17 January, Xinhua reported. 48 miners were underground when the leak happened at a depth of 460 metres below a shaft operated by the Yunhua Coalmine Co. Ltd, which is administered by the Nancheng Neighborhood Affairs Office of Nanchuan City. The report said 36 miners managed to escape, but two were still missing.
On 13 January, 10 miners were killed and 10 others were injured in a gas explosion in Qiaoyan Coalmine in Chengguan Township, Yiyang County, Henan Province. There were 24 miners underground when the explosion occurred.
On 1 January, 10 miners out of the 14 working underground at the time, were killed in a gas blast in Zhenzhuling Colliery in Jiahe County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province.
Sources: Xinhua News Agency
17 January 2005