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Another accident, same cause

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-01 07:48

An initial investigation has found that the coal mine accident in Wangjialing, Shanxi province, in which 153 workers were trapped, was caused by an accidental rush of water that tore through the mine. But the public can no longer tolerate these accidents, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Reflecting on past coal mine accidents, we see accidental factors were to blame for most of them. Even the Wangjialing accident was caused by the accidental digging through the aquifer.

The public is no longer surprised with such accidental explanations. But there is something that makes them wonder how such an accident could occur in a mine, which with an investment of about 5.17 billion yuan is one of Shanxi's key projects and has the approval of the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Council. Such an important project should have been undertaken only after a thorough geological surveyed and safety checks. May we ask why the mine's engineers and supervisors didn't even know where the aquifer was located? And since the mine was set to start production five months ahead of schedule, in October, may we ask if the rush to complete the construction was not partly responsible for the disaster? What is indeed a surprise is that safety procedures and construction plans didn't match the importance of such a major project.

(China Daily 04/01/2010 page9)