2700 Coal Mines Closed
Cramped conditions on display at the Coal Miner's Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
China recently shut down 2,700 coal mines due to safety violations (link above). It is a dirty and dangerous job as the recent tragic accident in West Virgina reminds us, but it is one hundred times more dangerous in China than anywhere else. Last year, about 7,000 miners died in China according to an official estimate. Labor rights groups estimate about 20,000 deaths. At least they are finally beginning to address the problem, so probably the number of deaths for 2006 will be less.
Chinese coal miner, 21st century.
Chinese rescuers rush an injured miner to a hospital after a gas leak at the Zijiang mine in Lengshuijiang, central China's Hunan province, June 8, 2005.
This has been an update on last year's bloggence: China Remains in the Coal Age and also Miners Get the Blind Shaft . . .
posted by E. Heroux @ 11:11 AM
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