At least 40 miners were killed and 15 others injured in a coal mine blast in southwestern China late on Saturday night. According to the work safety bureau in Sichuan province, the blast took place at the time when 108 miners were busy in work in an underground coal mine.
As a result of blast 27 miners were killed while others were trapped as entrance of the mine was closed due to falling of big land masse.
The rescue authorities reached the scene and 81 rescued, six were seriously injured and nine suffered minor injuries.
Earlier on Friday evening another coal mine blast in southwestern China killed 12 people in neighboring Guizhou province.
It should be mentioned that China’s mines are the deadliest in the world. Authorities have improved safety in recent years, but regulations are often ignored.
China marks anniversary of killer Sichuan quake
China Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake which killed more than 80,000 but some said questions remained over the thousands of children who died as their schools collapsed. The 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern province of Sichuan on the afternoon of May 12, 2008, with its epicentre at Wenchuan county. Another 4.45 million were hurt in China’s worst quake in more than three decades. The mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, the People’s Daily, praised government efforts towards reconstruction but outspoken Internet commentators remembered the thousands of children who died. “It’s the fifth anniversary of the earthquake as well as Mother’s Day. Hard to forget those young faces lying under the school buildings,” said Fengguo De Wuhou 1117 on a microblog. “Five years and the promise to thoroughly investigate the ‘tofu-built’ projects in the quake area still lingers around the ears,” said the posting.