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18 killed in China mine explosion

by Amitjha | April 17, 2009 at 09:52 pm

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This is my fourth or fifth story, may be more, on chines mine blast death in last few months.Latest report from central chinese mines says that atleast 18 people died in a mine blast.This tragic incident happened at a mine in Chexou city in Hunan province.Last year 3200 worker died in mines related accidents.Aand it is a worse kind of mining operation record.
How safe the Chines mines are, the death toll figure says it all.

Eighteen people were killed and three injured in an explosion at a mine in central China, an official said today, in the latest deadly

accident to hit the nation's coal industry.

The tragedy struck Friday afternoon at a mine in Chenzhou city in Hunan province when a detonator and explosives warehouse blew up, an employee at the city's coal industry bureau, who would only give his surname Li, said.

"Up to this morning we have confirmed there are 18 dead and three injured," he said.

Li said the victims were in dormitories next to the warehouse at the time of the explosion.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, a further two people were missing, and police have said the detonators and explosives might have been illegally bought and stored.

China's coal mines are notoriously dangerous. Official figures show that more than 3,200 workers died in collieries last year, but independent observers say the actual figure could be much higher, as many accidents are covered up.