A gas explosion in a coal mine in Shaanxi province killed 38 people
and injured another 16. The explosion took place in the first week of
April at the Chenjiashan mine near the city of Tongchuan. The report did
not state if the mine was privately run or state-owned. Private entrepreneurs
with little regard for safety or training now run many of China's mines.
Most of the employees are migrant workers. The blast came just two days
after Premier Zhu Rongji chaired a meeting on industrial safety in Beijing.
(HK: SCMP, 09/04/01)