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China mine blast kills at least 138
Rescuers help miner Feng Yin after he was rescued from a coal mine struck Sunday by a devastating explosion.
Associated Press
Published November 29, 2005
QITAIHE, China - Anxious relatives demanded to be allowed into a coal mine Monday after an explosion killed at least 138 miners and left 11 others missing, adding to a soaring death toll in China's mines despite a safety crackdown.
The blast in the Dongfeng Coal Mine prompted national leaders to demand stricter enforcement of safety rules in China's mining industry, by far the world's deadliest, with more than 5,000 fatalities a year in fires, floods and other accidents.
The disaster late Sunday came as the nearby city of Harbin was struggling to recover from a toxic spill in a river that forced the government to cut off water supplies for five days.
People who answered the phone at the mine office said they were too busy to give any information.
The disaster is a setback for Chinese officials struggling to improve safety in the coal mining industry. Most accidents are blamed on disregard of safety rules or lack of equipment for ventilation or fire control. Local officials often are accused of helping mine owners or managers flout safety rules.
Beijing has unveiled one safety initiative after another in recent years. It has announced the creation of a national network of safety inspectors, stricter fire standards and shorter working hours for miners to prevent fatigue.
Authorities say they have shut down more than 12,000 coal mines this year for safety inspections. Thousands have been ordered to improve their facilities and many others aren't expected to reopen.
The government said the explosion in Qitaihe was blamed on airborne coal dust that ignited. But there was no word on whether it was believed to involve misconduct or human error.
Rescuers had found 74 miners alive by Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said 138 miners died and 11 were missing.
Provincial Gov. Zhang Zuoji rushed to Qitaihe from Harbin, about 250 miles to the west, where he had just taken part in festivities marking the restoration of running water that was suspended after a spill of toxic benzene in the Songhua River. The water in Harbin was declared safe to drink today.
But 10,000 people downstream in Yilan County were without water service on Monday, China Central Television reported.
Downstream, in Russia, authorities were bracing for the 50-mile-long stretch of cancer-causing benzene to arrive within days.
[Last modified November 29, 2005, 02:15:28]
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