China coal mine death toll hits 23

Rescuers on Monday found the body of the last missing person in a southwest China coal mine, bringing the death toll from a recent coal-and-gas burst to 23.

The body was discovered in a shaft of Xiangshui Coal Mine in Guizhou Province around noon on Monday, ending the two-day rescue efforts, said officials in charge of the rescue operations.

The mine was hit by a coal-gas burst on Saturday morning when 28 miners were working underground. Eighteen miners were killed on the spot. Five miners have been rescued, with one in critical condition, Guizhou provincial authorities said earlier.

An investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched. Initial results show that inadequate safety measures are to blame.

Guizhou's Deputy Governor Sun Guoqiang said recent fatal accidents have occurred more often in mines operated by state firms than private ones.

He said the safety situation among state-owned mines is "grave" due to lax supervision over whether mines are adhering to safety rules, and he ordered a new safety overhaul of the mining industry.

Lu Hongzhuan, chairman of Pannan Coal Exploitation Co., Ltd, the operator of the mine, General Manager Wu Chao and Chief Engineer Zhao Qingping were sacked on Sunday following an investigation launched by the State Administration of Work Safety and the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

A deputy general manager of Guizhou Panjiang Group, which controls the coal mine, also resigned, said a government statement. It did not disclose the deputy general manager's name.

The coal mine is located in Panxian County of coal-rich Liupanshui City. It went into operation in 2006 with a designed annual output of 4 million tonnes. The mine sits on a coal deposit of 1.3 billion tonnes.

Coal produced by Xiangshui feeds the region's Pannan Power Station, which is considered a key part of the government's strategy to send electricity from its resource-rich western regions to the power-hungry industry belts in the east.

According to government figures released in mid-October, 1,146 people have died in 650 mining accidents across the country so far this year. About 46.5 percent of the deaths were caused by illegal mining operations.

Authorities intended to shut down 625 small mines this year to boost mining safety.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, on Saturday ordered tightened coal mine safety supervision.

It said in a circular that coal mines that have failed to meet safety standards should not be reopened and those who abuse their power to lower overhaul standards will be punished.