English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips> 天天读报> 每日播报

3 officials sacked over mine blast

[ 2009-02-24 13:35]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

进入英语学习论坛下载音频

Three senior officials of a Shanxi coal mine were sacked yesterday after a gas blast on Sunday killed at least 74 workers.

The Tunlan Coal Mine's manager, chief safety officer and chief engineer have been removed from their posts, Xinhua reported yesterday without revealing details.

The explosion occurred at 2:17 am while 436 miners were at work underground in Gujiao, 60 km west of Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

Of the more than 300 rescued, 114 were in hospital, five of them in critical condition, Liu Dezheng, deputy director of the Shanxi Work Safety Commission, told a briefing yesterday.

An official from the provincial government spokesman's office was quoted as saying that all the miners who were working below ground at the time of the accident had been accounted for.

An official from the local bureau of mines was also reported as saying that no one was missing.

But anxious relatives who gathered in Gujiao were left in confusion because they were not told if their loved ones were dead or among the injured. Some believe that there are still miners trapped underground, and were pleading for rescue work to continue.

The earliest batch of relatives arrived on the site around noon on Sunday and were sent to six or seven different hotels, motels and hostels, each closely monitored by mine staff.

About 50 people were sent to a shabby two-story brick hostel of the Malan coal mine, a Tunlan affiliate.

After receiving a phone call from mine officials yesterday morning, the elder brother of 42-year-old miner Li Wuzhong jumped onto a bus for the 200-km journey from Changzhi, their hometown in southern Shanxi, to the Tunlan mine.

He was "advised to stay in" at the Malan hostel.

"I've been told that Li's unit was down in the pit when the explosion happened," the brother, 53, said.

Accompanying Li were 10 relatives, all men. Having been told to wait in a twin-room, they complained about the scant information on their beloved family member.

"No one has told me whether he is alive or not," the elder Li told China Daily.

The men tried their best to hold back their tears, a typical scene in all the other 18 rooms on the hostel's second floor, temporarily occupied by frustrated relatives.

Looking after them were a few nurses, equipped with oxygen bottles and first-aid kits, ready to treat those who collapsed in grief.

About 20 employees of the mine - mainly women - were also there, comforting the relatives, while ensuring they did not leave the premises.

Back in Tunlan, half a dozen ambulances stood parked outside the pit as a dozen policemen guarded the gates to the shaft.

A captain of a special police unit from Taiyuan, who did not want to be named, said they would not leave until compensation for each victim was confirmed and the investigation process ended.

He said he had been involved in many similar tasks and had seen the protest rage of some relatives, usually over scant compensation following accidents in small, mostly illegal collieries.

Without any accident reported in the past five years, Tunlan, with an annual capacity of 5 million tons, was considered one of the safest and most advanced mines in Shanxi.

Officials have said the compensation for each dead miner would be "no less than 200,000 yuan ($29,000)".

A statement posted on the provincial government website said final checks on the mine were being conducted.

"The next step is to double-check the bottom of the well ... treat the injured and properly save all the data in preparation for the investigation," it said.

(英语点津 Helen 编辑)

3 officials sacked over mine blast

About the broadcaster:

3 officials sacked over mine blastBernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn