Better mine safety ordered after spree of deaths

Accidents in Chinese mines killed 503 miners in six weeks, leading the government to order better safety and tell state-run mines to close down small pits, state media reported today.

State media blamed the recent rash of accidents on an upturn in China’s long-depressed coal market that prompted mines to increase production while ignoring safety.

State mines contravened regulations in contracting small pits to individual entrepreneurs, the official Beijing Daily said. Small unsafe mines continue to operate despite official efforts to close them down, and small mines that were shut have reopened, the newspaper added.

The official Legal Daily said the safety situation was "extremely serious".

From April 1 to May 16, Chinese coal mines suffered 62 major accidents that killed three or more people, with a total death toll of 503, the newspaper said. It said most accidents were caused by gas explosions, and most occurred in small mines.

China’s mines are the world’s deadliest, with more than 4,800 miners killed last year in explosions, gas leaks, floods, fires, cave-ins and other accidents.

The Legal Daily said the government has ordered all state-run mines to stop production at small pits immediately and close them down by the end of June. It threatened punishment for noncompliance. Mines were also ordered to fix safety problems or face closure, the newspaper said.