00:00 16 people were killed in a coal mine accident in Panzhou city in southern China's Guizhou
00:06 province on Sunday, according to a filing by the mine's owner, Guizhou Panjiang Refined
00:12 Coal Co., with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday.
00:15 Rescue operations at the mine are underway, and a team has been dispatched to Guizhou
00:20 province to guide the efforts.
00:22 All coal mines in Panzhou city have suspended production for the day, according to Shanghai-based
00:26 commodities consultancy Mysteel.
00:29 The area has a total production capacity of about 52.5 million metric tons per year of
00:35 mostly coking coal, representing about 5% of China's coking coal production capacity,
00:41 according to Mysteel.
00:42 The state-owned company, also called Panjiang Coal, has ordered safety inspections of all
00:47 its mines and has taken measures to ensure safe production, the exchange filing added.
00:53 The company operates seven coal mines, with a total capacity of about 17.3 million tons.
00:58 The mine where the accident took place has an annual capacity of 3.1 million tons, according
01:03 to Mysteel.
01:04 The accident follows a string of similar incidents in the country's coal mines, including the
01:08 collapse of an open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia region in February that killed 53 people.
01:14 Authorities have announced measures to improve safety in the sector, including restrictions
01:17 on smaller mines and plans to accelerate the use of automation underground.
01:22 A guideline to improve workplace safety in mines aims to eradicate hidden loopholes that
01:27 lead to accidents by shifting the focus of the country's mine safety management to prevention,
01:32 Chinese authorities said earlier this week at a press conference elaborating on the newly
01:37 released guidelines.
01:39 The guideline is the first framework document for mine safety, with the approval of the
01:42 Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council since the founding
01:46 of the People's Republic of China, which means they have great practical significance and
01:51 far-reaching historical significance, Zhang Xin, deputy director of the National Mine
01:56 Safety Administration, said.
01:58 The guidelines come at the right time, as the national mine safety situation is grim
02:02 and complex.
02:03 Coal mine accidents have rebounded sharply.
02:05 Open-pit coal mine accidents and illegal activities such as concealing accidents have occurred
02:09 frequently since the beginning of 2023, according to a disciplined inspection official dispatched
02:14 to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
02:15 One of the highlights of the guidelines is that the country will stop building new coal
02:19 mines with an annual production capacity below 900,000 tons that are also at risk of coal
02:25 and gas outbursts or involve complicated hydrogeological conditions.
02:30 The small scale of these coal mines' production capacity will inevitably have a significant
02:34 impact on safety investment and safety management of the enterprises, making it highly prone
02:39 to major accidents, resulting in casualties.
02:41 [Music]
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