Coal mine fire kills 10, one missing in NE China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-17 09:20
BEIJING - Ten miners died and one was missing after fire blazed through a
coal mine in northern China, state media reported on Monday, adding to the
country's unrelenting toll of industrial fatalities.
The fire broke out at about midday in the mine near Handan, a small city in
Hebei province.
By late in the evening, 52 miners had been safely lifted from the mine shaft,
and rescuers were searching for the missing worker, Xinhua news agency reported.
China is struggling to meet booming demand for coal which fuels about 70
percent of its energy consumption.
In the rush for profits, safety regulations are often ignored, production is
pushed beyond limits and dangerous mines that have been shut down are reopened
illegally.
Last year, 3,300 coal mine blasts, floods and other accidents killed nearly
6,000 people, according to official figures.
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