In what has been called an ongoing conflict between government officials and owners, the nation’s government has established safety campaigns to enforce regulations and prevent accidents, Chinese news outlets reported.
More than 12,000 mines will be subject to inspection through the latest round of enforcement, according to the Associated Press, and no information on locations or sizes of operations expected to close were given.
The announcement comes just one week after a fire at China’s Xiangshui mine in the south-west province of Guizhou trapped 12 workers, whose fate is still unknown.
More than 5,000 workers lose their lives in mining accidents annually. Between January and September 2005, according to Chinese officials, 4,228 workers were killed in 2,337 mining accidents. In addition, 43 accidents termed “major” (taking 10 or more lives at one time) were reported through early October 2005.
