Coal mine blast leaves 138 dead, 11 missing
(AP/China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-29 06:42

On March 14, a gas explosion ripped through Xinfu Coal Mine, killing 18 miners underground.

Rescuers carry miner Zhang Jun out after he was trapped in a coal mine blast in Qitaihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, November 28, 2005. [Reuters]

Longmei Group is a mining conglomerate of four State-owned coal businesses in Heilongjiang, with a registered capital of 13 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion).

Coal mining is a key industry in depressed northeastern China, and huge of piles of waste rock from mining litter the landscape in Qitaihe.

Sunday's tragedy came when Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao urged officials to curb the "possible occurrence of big safety accidents which claim huge casualties and property losses."

The leaders called for enforcement of stricter inspections and punishments.

China's work safety watchdog recently ordered that at least one member of the management must accompany miners underground on every shift in a new bid to improve safety. Their job would be to discover any lurking danger before harm is done.

It was unclear whether that rule was followed at the Qitaihe mine as rescue efforts were now the top priority, a local source said.

China's coal mines are frequently hit by accidents. Fires, floods, cave-ins and explosions are often reported, and thousands of miners are killed every year despite the government's repeated vows to do more to stop the carnage.

Efforts to shut down dangerous mines have been complicated by the country's soaring demands for power to drive its booming economy.

Underscoring the dangers, 18 miners missing since another coal mine disaster last week in north China's Hebei province were confirmed dead Monday, the Xinhua News Agency said. The mine's owners fled after it flooded Thursday, complicating search efforts, the agency said.