Mining tragedies point to persistent problems in safety

Updated: 2014-11-28 09:17

(Agencies)

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Deadly explosion in Guizhou closely follows similar accident this week

Mining tragedies point to persistent problems in safety

Explosion site at Songlin mine in the town of Songhe village, Guizhou province on Nov 27, 2014.

At least 11 people were killed on Thursday in China's second deadly coal mine accident in two days.

The tragedies point to continuing safety issues in the industry despite a major decline in deaths among miners in recent years. Xinhua News Agency said 19 people were working at a mine in Guizhou province when an explosion ripped through the shaft early in the morning.

Ten workers died underground, while nine made it to the surface and were taken to a hospital, where one of them died. There was no immediate word on the condition of the eight survivors.

Xinhua said the cause of the blast at the Songlin mine in the town of Songhe is being investigated.

The mine's phone number isn't listed and phone calls to government and work safety commission offices in Songhe and the nearby city of Liupanshui were not answered.

Thursday's blast follows an explosion and fire early on Wednesday in Liaoning province that killed 26 miners.

Another 50 miners were injured in the disaster, which happened at a complex run by State-owned Fuxin Coal Corp.

Despite the generally better safety reputation of State-owned mines, a number of deadly accidents have struck Fuxin's mines in recent years, including an explosion in 2005 that killed 214 people.

A campaign to improve safety has lowered death tolls from accidents considerably in recent years. Just over 1,000 deaths from 604 coal mining accidents were reported in 2013, down from more than 6,000 a year a decade ago.

At the same time, demand for coal has plateaued as the economy slows from the headlong rush of the past decade.

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