The death toll in the five iron mines that caught fire Saturday
morning in Shahe City in north China's Hebei Province has risen to
57, said an official with the leading group in charge of the rescue
operation.
The bodies of 49 miners killed in the fire, most of whom
succumbed to suffocation, were lifted to the ground by 7:30 AM.
Monday, and the location of eight other dead miners has been
identified and will be transported to the surface soon.
Up to now, 46 miners have been rescued alive. But three other
miners remained missing. Search for the missing miners is sill
going on.
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Miners killed in the disaster were either locals or from the
underdeveloped Guizhou Province in southwest China and Shaanxi
Province in northwest China.
Preliminary investigation shows that the fire broke out due to
electronic cable self-ignition in one iron mine. The fire spread
quickly to four other iron mines which were all connected. Heavy
smog soon trapped 106 miners.
Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Hua Jianmin
said the rescue team should make every effort to find those trapped
and hold those responsible to account.
An investigation team, sent by the State Council,
reached the site on Saturday.?
Hebei’s provincial government issued a circular on
Sunday urging all mines in the province to conduct extensive safety
inspections.
The circular said the fire in Shahe was the third
major mining accident in the province in the last two months. The
other two were a gas blast in Handan on September 23, which killed
13, and a flooded coalmine also in Handan, killing 29.
According to the circular, unlicensed mines will be
shut down and those that can’t meet safety requirements will also
be closed if they do not make sufficient improvements in time.
The document said negligent officials involved in
mine accidents will be prosecuted and those who attempt to hide
their role would be given more severe punishments.
(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2004)