China will close 4000 coal mines

According to the China Safety Agency, the government is expected to close about 4,000 coal mines at risk of accidents and environmental pollution in 2007.

Li Yizhong, an official of the Occupational Safety Agency, said the mines had been closed in 2000 and the government was considering closing thousands of other dangerous coal mines and polluting the lips. school

According to him, the number of coal mines closed in 2007 will reach nearly 4,000 mines with a total annual exploitation of 100 million tons.

China's coal mining industry is considered to be the most dangerous in the world with mining accidents occurring almost every day . In 2006, 4746 miners were damaged while mining at the mine, an average of 13 people died per day.

The Chinese government recognizes that working conditions and safety standards are frequently violated by mine owners, and that production always exceeds health limitations due to running profits. And even though it was closed, many mines still sneaked up again.

Recently, a Chinese court sentenced a private coal mine owner in the north with a sentence of 16 years in prison and $ 650,000 in fines for the responsibility of causing an accident that killed 56 miners on May 18, 2006. . Li Fuyuan, the owner of the coal mine, said he did not follow the necessary measures to avoid an accident. Eleven co-defendants with the accused were fined from 10 months to six years in prison.

Fuxin coal mine, in Liaoning province, China. (Photo: TTO)

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