Illegal explosives kill 28 miners

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SPONTANEOUS ignition of explosives caused the Anxin Coal Mine blast in north China's Shanxi Province on Friday that killed 28 people and trapped six, Zhang Jianmin, vice governor of the province, said yesterday.

He said illegal home-made explosives, which were concealed in the colliery tunnel, ignited on their own and triggered the blast, producing toxic gas and collapsing some parts of the shaft as 58 miners were at work.

The explosion occurred about 11am Friday, when 58 miners were working underground ?? double the legal number. Fifteen managed to escape and another nine were saved by rescuers.

The State Council set up a team yesterday to investigate the accident. Zhao Tiechui, director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, heads the team. Zhang reported the above information to the investigation team. He also admitted that the accident reflected chaotic management of the coal mine.

The mine was approved to produce 90,000 tons of coal a year. It was permitted to resume production on May 18 after a regular safety check.

Meanwhile in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a cave-in killed five workers in a coal mine in Mulei County early yesterday. The accident happened at about 6am in Laojunmiao Colliery, trapping eight miners.