Vol. 75/No. 26      July 18, 2011

After a cave-in at a mine in the southeastern city of Heshan, rescue workers found the bodies of three miners. Another 19 are still trapped “in a difficult-to-reach section of a mine shaft” more than 1,200 feet below ground, reported Xinhua, the official Chinese government news agency, July 2. About 50 miners were working underground at the time of the collapse.

In the other incident, 21 miners were trapped following a flood inside the Niupeng coal mine in Guizhou Province. According to Xinhua, 29 workers were underground when the mine was inundated, with eight making it to the surface safely.

Poor safety conditions in both state-run and private mines in China kill or maim thousands of workers each year. According to government statistics, 2,433 miners died in 2010 while working in coal mines, a rate of more than six workers a day.

From March through June of this year 203 miners were killed in 26 different incidents, most as a result of explosions and floods.
 
 
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