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7 November, 2011
A 2.9-magnitude earthquake in Henan province, central China, caused a rock slide on 3 November claiming the lives of eight miners and trapping 59 others. Fourteen of the miners were rescued immediately, and 45 other trapped miners found freedom some 30 hours later on Saturday, 5 November, from 480 metres underground. This occurred at the Qianqiu colliery, operated by the large state-run Yina Coal Group.
The earthquake near the city of Sanmenxia collapsed the walls inside shaft. The eight mine deaths in Henan province come just six days after 29 perished in a methane gas explosion in Hunan province, the worse Chinese mine tragedy in recent months. Two days earlier, on 27 October, seven miners died in another gas explosion in Henan province.
The Hunan tragedy happened in a mine operated by the city of Hengyang called Xialiuchong Coal Mine. The mine was legally registered but provincial authorities had suspended its production license earlier this year for inadequate safety measures regarding methane gas build-up. The blast reportedly occurred when sparks from machinery ignited gas. Six miners were rescued.
The 27 October gas blast occurred at the Jiulishan Coal Mine in Jiaozuo, Henan province. Eighteen managed to escape. The mine was operating legally and is owned by state-owned Henan Coal Chemical Industry Group, a Fortune 500 company.
Last week’s earthquake caused a settling of earth that crushed against mine walls, causing a sudden and deadly release of stored energy one-half kilometre underground. Fortunately, enough air was squeezed in through the mine shaft for ventilation and then rescue. It took 200 workers to dig a rescue tunnel 750 metres in length to reach the 45 trapped miners, and serves as a stark reminder on the necessity of a second egress as mandated in ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention.