China’s worst mining disaster in almost two decades raises safety concerns

CHONGQING – The deadliest coal mining disaster in China in more than 16 years, which killed at least 82 workers and injured 128 others, has raised questions about safety protocols, with officials vowing to conduct a thorough investigation.

Rescue work is still ongoing for two workers missing since the accident on May 22 in northern Shanxi province, though cave-ins and flooding in the tunnels have hampered the operation. Those injured are in stable condition.

Preliminary checks found that Shanxi Tongzhou Group, a private company operating the mine, was suspected of committing serious violations, officials told a media conference late on May 23.

Officials said toxic and harmful gases inside the mine shaft had exceeded safety limits for a long time, but did not give further details.

Those in charge of the company have been detained, and its coal mines have stopped production for a safety overhaul, they added.

The local media reported that the number of workers underground at the time of the accident had surpassed the 124 recorded by the company, in violation of safety regulations.

The disaster is China’s deadliest coal mining accident since a gas explosion in north-eastern Heilongjiang province in 2009 that killed 108 people.

Shanxi is also the site of one of China’s deadliest mining disasters, when a methane explosion in 1960 killed 684 people.

Survivors of the latest tragedy told the local media that they saw thick dust and heard deafening roars during the explosion, with many miners collapsing before they could even react.

Some had thought it was a routine blasting operation before realising it was a gas explosion. A number of workers were able to activate their portable self-rescue devices and flee the mine in time.

The provincial authorities have so far deployed 755 medical workers and rescuers to the site, with the Ministry of Emergency Management sending six more mine rescue teams, totalling 345 people, to help with recovery efforts.

The National Health Commission has set up remote consultation points so that survivors can be treated by medical experts from Beijing.

Two hospitals in the capital, which have some of the country’s top medical resources, have also sent respiratory, orthopaedic and burn specialists to the disaster site.

Investigations into the cause of the accident are under way, led by Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing, who is overseeing the rescue efforts and other aspects of the disaster response.

President Xi Jinping had earlier emphasised that the authorities must stay vigilant about workplace safety and eliminate potential risks to prevent more catastrophes.

The National Mine Safety Administration has responded by instructing the local authorities to order firms to step up training for workers and to root out safety hazards.

Local officials – from northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region to Yunnan province in the south-western part of the country – have sent special task forces to investigate all active high-gas mines and address potential violations such as inadequate gas drainage, operations under excessive gas concentrations, and falsification of monitoring data.

They have also ordered safety supervisors to monitor round-the-clock inspections.

The hashtag “coal mine explosion in Shanxi” has topped the charts on popular microblogging platform Weibo – an indicator of the close attention Chinese netizens are paying to the issue.

Posts carrying the hashtag had amassed 11,000 comments and discussion threads, and had been read 46.4 million times.

Netizens have called for stricter enforcement checks, which include requiring workers to pass face recognition tests – a common tech trend in China – before entering mines, and to carry geolocation devices.

“This (ensures) there will not be an under-reporting of the actual number of workers in the mine. Who knows who else might be trapped if the authorities or the company can’t even provide a full account of the workers inside the mine?” wrote a netizen from central Anhui province.

Another netizen from eastern Jiangsu province said: “There will be so many homes broken up by this tragedy, especially since most mine workers are men and breadwinners of their families.

“Please make sure that those responsible are fully accountable to the victims’ family members.”