There were 293 miners working underground when the blast occurred. Only 127 of those who were working closer to the mine’s entrance at the time were able to escape to safety, 43 of whom were hospitalized for burns, cuts, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

About 1,000 distraught workers and miners’ relatives have been protesting since then outside the mine in freezing temperatures and waiting for news about those still trapped underground. This protest is part of growing unrest by workers and peasants in parts of China—including large strikes and demonstrations—as working people resist the attempts by foreign capitalists, local business owners, and government bureaucrats to profiteer at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of workers.

Chinese television news reported that many of the workers trapped in the Chenjiashan mine were working in underground tunnels up to five miles long that were accessible only by foot. Two days after the blast, rescue workers had recovered only 50 bodies of the remaining 166 miners. News reports indicate that there is little chance that any of those who remain underground are still alive.

High concentrations of poison gas and broken ventilation systems still prevent the more than 1,000 rescue workers from reaching the remaining miners. Rescuers who returned from the tunnels said they saw blue smoke, indicating that the coal bed could be on fire.

China’s state news agency, Xinjua, reported that the explosion resulted from high concentrations of gas in the mine, which becomes volatile when it reaches a density of 12 percent. A second explosion occurred alongside the gas blast when the fire ignited concentrated coal dust.

The mine is known to have a high gas density. A previous explosion there ensuing from concentrated gas killed 38 miners just three years ago. After the latest disaster, the Shaanxi provincial government ordered mines with high-density gas temporarily closed for safety inspection.

Chinese media sources reported that a mine fire broke out at a work site underground six days before this most recent blast, but production continued as workers unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the blaze. “The firefighting team at our mine made efforts to put out the fire and they worked for nearly a week to control the fire,” a miner told the China Daily.

According to the South African newspaper Cape Argus, workers were ordered to continue working or face fines. “They often let miners go down to the shaft even when the gas density is unsafe,” said Tang Longqing, a 46-year-old miner.

The mine explosion at Chenjiashan is but the latest example in a pattern of deadly mining disasters in the country.

On October 20, a gas explosion took place at the Daping coal mine in Xinmi City, Henan province, also in central China. The blast killed 148 of the 446 miners working underground at the time.

Like the Chenjiashan mine, a mixture of concentrated gas and coal dust was ignited deep in the Daping mine. The disaster happened as workers were pressed by management to venture deep in the mine. According to Zhao Tiechui, the deputy head of the State Administration of Production Safety, the extension of the mine there increased the amount of gas in the tunnel. Investigation reports indicate poor ventilation allowed high-density gas to enter the tunnel and mix with fresh air where the mix was ignited by engine sparks.

Another mine in Henan province was hit by an explosion November 11, killing 33 miners.

Six days before the Chenjiashan disaster, a fire erupted in five privately run iron mines in Shahe City. So far, 68 workers have been confirmed dead from those blasts and 119 are still missing. The fire is believed to have been started by an electrical cable in one of the mines, which rapidly spread to four other connected mines.

Coal is China’s main source of power generation, accounting for 70 percent of its total energy usage. China is also the world’s leading coal producer. The country produced 35 percent of the world’s coal last year. In the first 10 months of this year, China’s output was 1.3 billion tons, up 16 percent from last year. In 2003, production increased 19 percent over the previous year. The rapid and steady rise in coal production has nevertheless failed to keep pace with the explosion in demand and meet the growing power needs of the country. In recent years, the country’s gross domestic product has been growing by 9 percent annually, as migration from the countryside to the cities continues apace along with accelerating industrialization. The increased demand has also created a rise in coal prices, driving mine operators and owners to maximize production at the expense of safety.

“The foundations of coal mine safety remain weak and there are still many holes in safety administration,” said the deputy director of China’s Work Inspection and Administration Authority, Sun Hua, at a news conference last month. “In particular, with the current high demand for coal, many businesses are producing more than they’re able to.”

From January to the end of September of this year, 4,153 people have been reported killed in mine disasters in China.

The deadly conditions have generated increasing resistance. According to press accounts, miners at the Huainan coal mine in Anhui Province reportedly walked out September 3-10, demanding accident compensation, and protesting against arbitrary layoffs and forced overtime. The weeklong walkout reportedly forced mine authorities and the city government to agree to some of the miners’ demands before they returned to work.

Struggles by miners in China appear to be part of an increase in broader resistance by workers and peasants in parts of the country as the bureaucratic regime in Beijing continues to open up China’s economy—which remains to a large degree nationalized—to capitalist investment from abroad and to allow wider operation of the capitalist law of value. According to press accounts there has been an uptick in protests across China. Several million people reportedly took part in some 500 demonstrations in September. Thousands of peasants have reportedly been involved in protests in Henan and Jiangxi provinces against over-taxation and land seizures.

A November 27 article in the Washington Post reported that an unprecedented series of recent walkouts by workers have occurred in the booming Pearl River Delta, where foreign companies have invested more than $50 billion over the last five years. This includes a November 7 one-day strike at the Shanlin Technology appliance factory, where 1,000 workers walked out to demand overtime pay and more days off. The workers returned to work the next day, after the company agreed to raise overtime pay by 50 percent and guarantee two days off a month.

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions announced November 25 that Wal-Mart facilities in China will be unionized.  
 
 
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