From the BBC (link):
Coal is needed to generate more than two-thirds of the country’s electricity, making China both the world’s largest coal producer and consumer.
But profit-hungry mine owners are desperate to take advantage of soaring coal prices and often ignore safety precautions in an effort to increase production. And Chinese miners are paying the price. Nearly 6,000 died last year alone in more than 3,000 fires, floods, explosions and other accidents.
All that has landed officials in Beijing with one record they would rather not have – China has the most deadly mining industry in the world.
The Chinese president Hu Jintao declared earlier this year that the country’s development should not come at the expense of human life.
So now Beijing is promising reform. It says all mines with a production capacity of less than 30,000 tonnes will be shut down.
See also “China to close all small coal mines in safety drive” from Reuters.
Technorati Tags: China, coal mining
