China coal mine fire kills 25
CHINA: Twenty-five people have been killed in a coal mine fire in
central China, local authorities said Tuesday, the latest deadly
incident in the country’s hazardous mining industry.
The city government said the blaze in a mine in Zhengzhou, the
capital of Henan province, was sparked when cables caught fire late
Monday in one of the main pits. Six miners were saved, but the rest
died.
Police have detained at least three mine managers and frozen their
assets and those of the facility after an initial investigation revealed
the mine was operating illegally, the government said. China’s coal
mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards
often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet surging
demand for coal — the source of about 70 percent of China’s energy.
Beijing, Tuesday, AFP
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