Chongqing suspends coal mine work after accident

Chongqing authorities have halted operations of all coal mines in the municipality and vowed to accelerate the phasing out of small coal pits following a deadly poisoning accident that claimed 23 lives.

The accident happened in Diaoshuidong Coal Mine on Friday, trapping 24 and killing all but one of them. It was caused by a fire-use violation that occurred as the company dismantled underground facilities, according to a media release from Chongqing authorities on Wednesday.

The process resulted in a blaze and an excessive amount of carbon monoxide in the mine, which had been closed after its mining license expired in August, it said.

The release said authorities will check for safety hazards in the city's coal mines, all of which saw their operations suspended on Saturday. In addition to appointing a county-level official for each coal mine to oversee the screening work, top officials from Chongqing's 12 county-level regions with coal mines will have to devote themselves to the front line in the effort.

These top officials should perform their duties in work safety management by personally being involved in the examination work－which includes visiting the mines and going down into the pits－and supervising officials and company executives, the release stressed.

It also said Chongqing will make intensified efforts to cut overcapacity in the coal mining sector, and the closing of mines with an annual output of less than 300,000 metric tons will be accelerated.

Friday's tragedy is the second deadly accident in the city's coal mines in the past three months. On Sept 27, excessive levels of carbon monoxide caused the deaths of 16 people at the Songzao Coal Mine.

"The work safety situation remains grim and complicated," the media release said.

On behalf of the Work Safety Committee of the State Council, China's Cabinet, Huang Yuzhi, head of the National Coal Mine Safety Administration, had summoned leading Chongqing officials over the metropolis' work safety record on Sunday.

The country has experienced a marked decrease in the number of accidents in workplaces this year. The number of major accidents, however, has been on the rise since April, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a release on Monday.

The recent spate of major deadly accidents in coal mines shows that government departments and enterprises in some regions have failed to adequately perform their duties in work safety management, it said.

The ministry also vowed to seriously punish officials who neglect their duties in the eradication of illegal coal mines.

If two or more illegal mines are found operating in a county-level area within one month and no effective measure has been taken to stop them, the municipal government should punish leading officials in the area and those in charge of work safety, it said.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn