“Chinese safety regulators blame ‘reckless greed’ after 15 die in coal mine blast”, 19 November 2019

A coal mine explosion that killed 15 people in northern China should be blamed on “reckless greed” and neglect, the state safety regulator said…

The blast happened at the Ermugou mine in Pingyao county, Shanxi province… according to state news agency Xinhua.

Nine miners were also injured in the explosion, which is believed to have been caused by a gas blast, and were in a stable condition in hospital.

There were a total of 34 workers in the pit when the explosion occurred…

The mine was owned by the town government and had an annual capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, a statement from the National Coal Mine Safety Administration said…

Initial investigations suggested that the accident happened because the management had broken the rules by mining in the wrong area and using inadequate ventilation machines, the statement said.

“The accident demonstrates the leaders of the mine are reckless with greed, breached the red line and violated rules in deciding exploitation areas,” the authority said.

The statement also said the investigation suggested that they failed to install surveillance cameras at key positions.

Neither the town government nor mine managers have commented publicly on the allegations…

Accidents happen frequently in mines across the country due to poor safety management and a lack of awareness about safety…