(Broadcast on June 22, 2002)
On June 20, a fatal gas explosion took at least 111 miners lives [final official death toll was 115 Ed.] at the Chengzihe Coal Mine in Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province. CLBs chief coordinator, Han Dongfang, rang to several related offices of the Chengzihe Coal Mine under the Jixi Mining Bureau (JMB) for details of the blast. The first call was made to the Control Room.
Official A:
You have to call to Command Post. At the moment, we are all under its instructions.
Han Dongfang (Han):
Has production been stopped since the accident?
(Line cut)
I reached the Chengzihe Coal Mine Branch of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), but they hung up after I asked my question.
Official B:
Who is speaking?
Han:
Excuse me, is this the trade union of Chengzihe Coal Mine?
Official:
Yes. Who are you?
Han:
I am calling to ask about the rescue work after the accident
(Line cut)
At last, I called to an off-pit workplace, which was not far from the site of the blast. A miner told me that some families lost 2 or 3 lives in the accident.
Miner:
All of the miners who fled or died were from our neighborhood. Some of them were even our co-miners. Some families had 2 or 3 deaths because family members worked in the same shift.
Han:
Are there many families like this?
Miner:
As far as I know, there are 2 such cases in this district. A family lost the father, the son, and the cousin, and another family lost an uncle and a cousin. In one family, only the wife and a little daughter were left behind, crying all day long.
He told that a lot of miners families rushed to the mine on that afternoon (June 20), but the mine area was guarded by the Armed Police and Public Security Officers. Nobody was allowed to get closer. All of the corpses unearthed were taken away and also guarded by them. Family members were still not allowed to reclaim the bodies of the deceased.
Miner:
Search? Of course they (the family members) have to. But all is in a mess. They (the family members) all arrived yesterday afternoon. Some corpses are recognizable but some are not, and 4 or 5 miners are still missing.
Han:
So what are the families going to do now?
Miner:
Well, crying, kicking up a rumpus, that is it. But actually there is no rumpus for them to create, as no corpse can be claimed back. The Armed Police and Public Security Officers are there to make sure that no fuss is made.
Han:
Then what can be done to reclaim the bodies of the deceased?
Miner:
Nothing. They dont let them identify the corpses at all. Some corpses are severely destroyed; they lost their heads, arms or legs and were placed here (Beishi School), guarded by the Armed Police. The less-destroyed corpses were transferred to either the oil depot in the peak, or the water supply department. All were in these 3 places, but nobody could get closer. The families were told that the corpses were severely disfigured, and had to be fixed. For example, if the brain was missing, then they put cotton into the skull and dressed up the corpse before showing to the victims families. And even so, you could just have a look from a distance of 3 to 4 meters. Then you would be pushed away, being told, Alright, alright, so he is dead and nothing could be done. Just go! They would simply take you away, without letting you go any closer. You know, if you could examine it, you would find the leg was missing as well, just a wooden stick there, and the head would be a plastic bag. So they would not let you have a look.
On compensation, the Miner said that there were different standards for permanent miners and contract miners.
Miner:
It simply doesnt work, even if you would ask for it [the compensation]. They (JMB) always give the same reply -- they cant tell you anything until the whole thing is over. If the deceased is a miner on the permanent staff, the mining bureau will support his kids till they are 18 years old, and if his wife is jobless, she will get some living allowance. But for the contract miners, it will be a one-off payment only.
Han:
You mean the contract miners families get only a one-off compensation?
Miner:
Yes. Last time, it was about 30,000 yuan.
Han:
How many of the victims were contract miners?
Miner:
At least 80% of them.
This Miner then told me the survivors accounts of the blast.
Miner:
Those who fled the mine told me that the blast was caused by the use of explosives. They used the explosives to quake and remove a big rock. It couldnt be that disastrous if it was not the explosives. . They all told the same story.
Han:
From whom did you learn this?
Miner:
The miners who worked underground.
Han:
You mean those miners who fled for their lives this time?
Miner:
Exactly. At first, it was a roof fall in the mine and the Mining Bureau was about to examine it. The mine manager went down the pit and asked the miners to fix the problem immediately, as the Mining Bureau would come to check it soon. Then, he left and the miners tried to work it out, but there was no way to be fast when the rock was that gigantic. They couldnt move it a single centimeter. So using explosives was the only choice, but it was an uncontrolled blast, and it led to disaster. Such a tragedy would not have happened if the mine manager were there. Why on earth was he not around to make sure things were done properly? It is obvious that if he had stayed, the miners could not have touched the explosives.
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Second part of this interview:
Why the Jixi Mine Blast? An Interview with a Jixi Coal Miner (2) 2002-06-22