Flooding in Chinese coal mine traps 69

Chinese mining industry is surely the most dangerous place in world mining industry. Over a thousand miners die in different kinds of accidents. Some of the accidents are covered on newspapers while the others remain in dark under the order of local authorities in order to protect their images. So no one really knows how many accidents and miners are there each year.


This one is said to be one of the world's deadliest accidents, the flood has trapped some 69 miners and has been out of contact for 24 hours. Their chance of survive is really slim. Driven by profit, many mine owners still urge miners to work underground even though they don't have the permission from authorities and lack of safety and life support equipments that will help them escape from accidents. Miners know that, but they still need to do the job since they need the money to support their families. And, the country needs energy to make everything run properly.

China and Gulf states are said to set up a free trade area in 2007. I don't know if gas will be on the list of free trade. If so, mining industry in China may be safer since the need for coal will decrease, and mine accidents will decrease.