A second explosion at the Babao Coal Mine in Baishan, Jilin Province, has killed a further seven mineworkers. The mine was closed on Friday 29 March 2013, after a gas explosion which led to 29 fatalities, but on the morning of Monday 1 April a manager at the mine responded to a report of smoke issuing from the pit by sending a team of 21 workers to extinguish the blaze. This team was reportedly on a platform 300-400 m beneath the surface when a second gas explosion occured. The bodies of seven miners have been recovered, and four have been rescued with minor injuries; the reamining ten are still missing.
Relatives of trapped workers at the Babao Mine waiting for news. Zhang Yao/China News Service.
The mine is operated by the state owned Tonghua Mining Group, which is generally considered to have a good safety record, compared to other companies in the country. The mine had been ordered to close pending an investigation by authorities, and permission for the mineworkers to re-enter the pit had not been granted. Police have now reportedly detained a number of senior managers at the mine, who can be held criminally responsible under Chinese law.
See also Twenty-eight miners reported dead after explosion at Chinese coal mine, 83 feared dead after Tibetan landslip, Seven workers killed by mine explosion in Hunan Province, China, Miners trapped by flooding at Qielichong Coal Mine in Hunan Province, China and At least 21 miners killed in mining disaster in Yunnan Province, China.
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