MINE BLAST DEATH TOLL RISES
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia
July 17, 2006
The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern China has risen from 20 to 50, Chinese state television has reported. Seven other miners remain missing.
A preliminary investigation blamed Saturday’s blast on airborne coal dust that caught fire, the Xinhua News Agency said.
The mine manager is reported to be in police custody.
The underground explosion occurred at the Linjiazhuang Coal Mine in Jinzhong, a city in Shanxi province.
China's coal mines are regarded as the most dangerous in the world. According to official figures, 6,000 miners died last year.
But workers’ rights groups, such as the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, dispute this figure, claiming the industry’s annual death toll could be as high as 20,000.
A preliminary investigation blamed Saturday’s blast on airborne coal dust that caught fire, the Xinhua News Agency said.
The mine manager is reported to be in police custody.
The underground explosion occurred at the Linjiazhuang Coal Mine in Jinzhong, a city in Shanxi province.
China's coal mines are regarded as the most dangerous in the world. According to official figures, 6,000 miners died last year.
But workers’ rights groups, such as the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, dispute this figure, claiming the industry’s annual death toll could be as high as 20,000.
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United States Mine Rescue Association
www.usmra.com
United States Mine Rescue Association
www.usmra.com
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