By KUNA,
Tokyo : The death toll from a coal mine gas explosion in central China’s Henan Province rose to 42 on Wednesday with 37 still trapped underground, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the local safety watchdog.
The accident happened at around 1 a.m. Tuesday (1700 GMT Monday) in Xinhua District of Pingdingshan city, a spokesman with the Henan Provincial Bureau of Work Safety said, according to Xinhua. A total of 93 people were working in the pit when the accident happened, 14 of whom managed to escape. The accident has aroused the attention of top leadership, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang arrived in Pingdingshan city with a government delegation on Tuesday, Xinhua said. A preliminary investigation showed illegal mining was to blame for the accident. The township-run colliery, which produces 150,000 tons of coal annually, was undergoing an overhaul and had not been allowed to resume production by the city government, a local city committee spokesman was quoted as saying. The city government has ordered all of the city’s 157 coal mines to suspend production for safety overhaul.
China’s mining industry has one of the worst safety records in the world, as mine owners often operate pits illegally or ignoring safety procedures. Coal mine disasters took 1,699 lives in Henan Province in the first eight months of this year, the news agency said. In the US and other developed countries, the annual death toll in coal mines is generally no higher than 40.