Chinese mine death numbers dip

The headline is a little too positive for my taste. It's accurate. I have to admit that, but the deaths of 3069 miners is hardly acceptable.

Here's hoping the Chinese can correct this problem and allow more miners to return to their families safely at the end of the day.

Accidents at Chinese coal mines killed 3069 people in the first 10 months of this year, a drop of 19 per cent over the same period in 2006. But China is still ranked as the world's deadliest coal industry.

The number of deaths from all accidents declined 14 per cent to 79,000 in the period, the State Administration of Work Safety said.

China, the largest producer and consumer of coal, has battled to improve safety standards in its mines. But accidents are common as enforcement is lax and as mine owners push production beyond safety limits to meet robust demand for the fuel.

A total of 4746 Chinese coal miners were killed in thousands of blasts, floods and other accidents last year, down 20 per cent from 2005, according to official estimates.

It appears the Chinese are making progress, but too slowly. Its 9-11 over and over in slow motion.

Via nzherald.