China acts on coal mining safety

By Tony Cheng
BBC News, Beijing

Thousands die each year in Chinese mining accidents

China government has set up a special department to try and cut the country's high number of coal mining accidents.

The office will bring together experts from different departments to oversee a budget of $361m allocated to safety and improvement projects.

As the demand for energy has increased in China, suppliers have been pressured to provide coal faster, leading to a dramatic increase in accidents.

The announcement came as an accident in Chongqing killed at least 18 miners.

Rescue workers said one miner was still missing.

The explosion that had caused a tunnel to collapse on Thursday afternoon was typical of the sort of accident that has been occurring with tragic frequency in China's mines.

That, says Zhang Guobao, the official charged with overseeing the new agency, is precisely why the office has been established.

The complexity of the safety improvements required, he said, needs expertise from across the Chinese government.

But they will have to act fast. In the past four days alone, more than 40 miners have been killed in accidents.

Official estimates put last year's total number of fatalities at 6,000 - although independent surveys say the figure could be three times that.

And demand for coal continues to rise. High global oil prices and a huge increase in energy consumption have made China increasingly dependant on coal.

Until the Chinese government can find a way to effectively regulate them, China's mines will continue to be the most dangerous in the world.