Nine miners died from carbon monoxide poisoning over the weekend at a colliery in central China, state media reported Monday, in the latest accident to plague the notoriously dangerous industry.
Three miners died in the pit, while six others who were initially rescued died later in hospital, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Liu Xianghua, the deputy director of the coal mining bureau in the city of Yiyang.
An initial probe found that two miners were working in the shaft when toxic levels of carbon monoxide were detected. Seven others were sent in to investigate and contact with them was lost, the report said.
China's vast coal mining industry is notoriously accident-prone due to lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency as mines rush to meet soaring demand. China relies on coal-generated power for about 70 percent of its electricity needs.
A total of 2,631 miners were killed in China last year, according to official figures but independent labour groups say the actual figure could be much higher as many accidents are covered up to avoid costly mine shutdowns.
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
