Large scale deadly mine accidents have been hitting the provinces of Henan and Hebei in central China since October, claiming more than 250 miners’ lives in total – with the Daping coalmine’s death toll the worst recorded this year. Henan and Hebei provinces together produce about ten per cent of China’s coal each year, according to figures from China Coal Industry Network.

According to information from the State Administration of Work Safety, a gas explosion occurred at Xinsheng Coalmine in Liangwa Town, Henan Province, at midday on 11 November, killing 33 miners and leaving six others injured.

As the mine owner fled after the accident, it was difficult to find out how many workers had been underground when the accident occurred. The record of mining facilities and ground plan of the pit also went missing. A doctor from Liangwa Town Hospital told China Labour Bulletin that the injured miners had been sent to the county hospital suffering 40 to 90 percent burns.

A nurse from Lushan County Hospital said the miners, in critical condition, had been moved the same night to Pingdingshan Mining Bureau General Hospital. China Labour Bulletin interviewed a nurse from the hospital who said the three miners – in their 30s or 40s – were still in critical condition, and they had had no visitors yet.

Local officials evade responsibility for the accident

Local government officials were not willing to take responsibility for the accident. An official from Lushan County Work Safety Bureau told CLB that the coalmine was run by the Pingdingshan City government and that he had no idea where it got its mining license from. However, an official from the Pingdingshan City Coal Bureau said that the mine used to function as a prison (reform-through-labour) enterprise operated by the city’s Justice Bureau. “It’s under the control of the Justice Bureau. It used to be a reform-through-labour mine. A reform-through-labour mine is a Xinsheng mine.” Most mines with the name Xinsheng, which literally means “new life” in Chinese, are in fact prison or reform-through-labour mines.

An official from the Justice Bureau claimed that it was “just a rumour” that the Justice Bureau ran the mine. Nevertheless, when contacted again in the afternoon, a staff member of the bureau first told CLB that he was not sure if the mine was under their jurisdiction but later admitted that all leaders in the bureau had visited the mine.

A villager whose home is less than one kilometres from the mine said the mine used to be a reform-through-labour mine under the control of the Justice Bureau but it was later sold to a private owner. Another villager said the miners were all migrant workers from Sichuan, Hubei and Shaanxi Provinces.

Unsuccessful attempt to form a trade union in the coalmine

A staff member of Lushan County’s Federation of Trade Unions recalled that there had been an attempt to form a trade union at the coalmine several years ago but that it hadn’t worked out “for some reason.”

According to information from the State Administration of Work Safety, Hongtupo mine, another mine in the same city, was the scene of a large-scale blast on 4 March 1997 in which 89 miners died and nine others were injured. After the accident, Zhang Chaojun, Deputy Mayor of Pingdingshan City, Fan Chunxing, chief of Pingdingshan City Coal Bureau and Feng Shangxian, chief of Pingdingshan City Mining Bureau, were each given a “black mark” in their personal work records, a minor punishment for wrongdoing by government officials. Lushan County Governor Tao Hongzhen also received a black mark. Lushan County Party General Secretary, Zhang Liusong, received a warning from the Party. Some officials of Lushan County Coal Bureau and Liangwa Town government were demoted in addition to receiving a black mark. Wang Guoliang, manager of Liangwa Town Coal Station, was fired and faced criminal charges. Hongtupo Mine chief Zheng Guoxuan, director Zheng Yujiang, chief mining engineer Liu Changjiang,Sanguanmiao Mine chief Zhang Guomin and Sanjing Mine owner He Jianxi were charged with criminal offences.

Blaze in Hebei iron mines kills 68

A fire swept through a complex of iron mines in Shahe City in adjacent Hebei Province on 20 November, killing 68 of 116 miners many of whom were trapped in the dark and smokey pits for more than 20 hours. Among the 68 dead miners, 10 had been ordered by the mine owners to enter the pits to fight the fire.

Nine people were detained just three days after the accident. It is not clear whether the nine were mining officials or miners. The bank accounts of those who owned or operated the mines were reportedly frozen.

An initial report said the blaze started when an electric cable caught fire inside one of the five connected mines. It then spread quickly to the other mines.

A report in the Hebei Workers’ Daily said many teenagers were employed in mines in the Shahe area. One of the rescued miners, a 14-year-old from Shaanxi Province, told the newspaper that he had been working underground for more than 10 hours when the accident happened. There was a strong smell of gas and five or six of his fellow miners collapsed, as he also did shortly afterwards. He regained consciousness in hospital. Under PRC law, it is illegal for employees under 18 years old to work underground.

The newspaper cited sources as saying that more than two dozen teenaged miners were hired by the five mines involved in the accident.

Shahe City government announced that each bereaved family would be given 48,000 Yuan in compensation.

Sources: China Labour Bulletin, China Coal Industry Network, South China Morning Post, Hebei Workers’ Daily, Reuters, Beijing Morning Post

21 December 2004