Coal Mine Explosion Leaves 33 Dead in Northeast China
A pocket of gas exploded in a coal mine in northeastern China, killing 33 miners, state media and a mine bureau employee reported Saturday.
Twelve miners escaped from the shaft after the blast occurred Thursday night, the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily reported.
It said the naturally occurring gases built up because of a lack of ventilation in a new mine shaft in Shanxi province’s Jiaocheng county. The shift foreman and gas safety inspector were among those killed, the newspaper said.
The official New China News Agency said the mine had been ordered closed for safety improvements and was operating without a license. Mine manager Hou Junping and three assistants have been detained for dereliction of duty in connection with the blast, it said.
Thousands of Chinese miners die each year in explosions, cave-ins and flooding blamed on untrained workers, poor engineering and a lack of basic safety features. Many mines lack ventilation.
Another explosion Wednesday at another mine in Shanxi province killed four people and left four missing, the China Daily said.
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