A deadly mine blast in China killed 82. A crackdown could squeeze coal production
Bloomberg News And Reuters
Beijing: The causes of a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China are being investigated and company officials have been detained following the country’s deadliest mining accident since 2009.
The crash triggered a massive rescue operation involving hundreds of emergency workers, the promise of an “irreconcilable” investigation and the intervention of President Xi Jinping and senior officials. A spike in reviews is almost certain; In the near term, it potentially threatens overall coal production, electricity generation, and Beijing’s efforts to prioritize energy security.
Xi had on Saturday called on authorities to “spare all efforts” to treat and treat the injured.
Search and rescue efforts were initiated and an investigation into the incident was launched. He called for stronger risk controls and hazard controls, especially during the current season when heavy rain and floods are more common.
Premier Li Qiang reiterated the directives, calling for transparent disclosure of information and stricter enforcement of security responsibilities in key sectors. xinhua News Agency reported.
state newspaper People’s Daily It published a front-page editorial about the accident on Sunday morning, calling for greater attention to safety in production and “a complete reversal of the trend of prioritizing development over safety.”
Guo Xiaofang, head of Shanxi’s Qinyuan district, where the mine is located, said at a news conference late Saturday that 247 workers were working underground at the time of the explosion. While no news was available from two people, 128 people were injured and hospitalized, while 35 people escaped uninjured. Rescue efforts continued on Sunday.
At the press conference, officials said that the Liushenyu mine is owned by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal Coking Group and that all four of the mines have been closed and company executives have been detained.
China’s State Council investigation team will conduct a “rigorous and comprehensive investigation” into the accident and called for a nationwide review of mining safety measures and a crackdown on illegal practices, including secret work areas, fake monitoring data, unspecified worker numbers and improper subcontracting.
Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to Shanxi to oversee emergency response efforts, including search and rescue, medical treatment and post-incident response. xinhua reported. He called on authorities to verify the number of missing workers and prevent secondary losses.
According to local reports, six teams consisting of a total of 345 people were sent by the Ministry of Emergency Management to assist in rescue efforts, while the victims are still being treated for injuries, including exposure to toxic gases.
China has significantly reduced coal mining deaths in recent years, but the government has also increased production to a record level to meet energy security demands.
Even after years of dramatic renewable energy growth, coal remains a pillar of China’s energy mix and underpins energy production and industrial activity. This is also one of several options that would compensate for current shortages in the supply of liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf.
High-profile mining incidents tend to trigger “nationwide safety inspections and increased enforcement,” said David Fishman, Shanghai-based principal of The Lantau Group. “This has been the case in the past, and given the magnitude of the accident and the harsh statements coming from the central government, including from Xi himself, it is reasonable to expect the same this time.”
The crackdown ahead of the Communist Party’s 100th anniversary in 2021 has restricted production to the point that it has contributed to coal shortages and nationwide power outages.
Beijing has found less destructive methods. Even after the last major disaster, a landslide at a mine in Inner Mongolia in 2023 that killed 53 people, authorities responded by focusing on accident prevention, not a blow to overall production.
It is not yet clear whether the Liushenyu mine, although it produces coking coal and accounts for only 0.1 percent of Shanxi’s total annual coal production, will trigger a similarly limited response. Last year he was fined twice by local authorities for security violations.
According to a report by Chinese consultancy MySteel, all 25 coal mines in Qinyuan county have suspended production, and other mines in the wider Changzhi region have also begun to stop work, leading to a temporary supply shortage.
Bloomberg, Reuters
