China orders local governments to ensure coal mine safety

BEIJING - China has ordered local authorities to to prevent coal mine accidents and ensure safe production, following a fatal accident this month in northeast China that killed at least four.

Authorities should follow work safety management regulations and supervise coal mines to eliminate safety hazards found in previous inspections, according to a statement from the Work Safety Committee of the State Council.

Four miners were killed and another six are still missing in an accident on Nov. 11 in a coal mine owned by Shenyang Coking Coal Co in Liaoning Province.

Coal mining companies should check for hidden dangers in their mines and focus on potential gas explosions, water and fire disasters and rock falls, according to the committee.

Local authorities should crack down on illegal mining activities with measures including penalties, suspending production or even shutting down the mines, it added.