Day of Death in Chinese Coal Mines, 20 October 2004

20 October will go down as a day of death in China’s coal mines. Four disasters found 123 dead, including—at last count—77 miners of state-owned Zhengzhou Group at Xinmi, Henan province, the worst mine catastrophe in recent years. At the weekend, 71 are still missing from the 20 October gas explosion that tore through several shafts at one of Zhengzhou’s larger coalmines. Two other gas blasts added to the death count. Five were killed, 8 still missing at a blast in the southern province of Guizhou and near the southwestern Chinese city of Chongquing, another 12 perished in a natural gas explosion. The fourth 20 October disaster occurred at the Desheng coal mine in Wu’an, Hebei province, when flooding cased the deaths of 29 miners.