Safety facilities rolled out

The country unveiled its first underground refuge system for coal mines on Tuesday, to help protect miners from mishaps during their work.

The refuge system, initially consisting of eight mobile safety chambers and a permanent underground shelter, was recently introduced as a national pilot project at the Changcun coal mine in Shanxi province, said the Lu'an Mining Group Corporation that owns the mine.

"We are prepared to take five years to push the use of six mine safety systems, including emergency refuge systems at all coal mines in the country," Zhao Tiechui, deputy chief of the State Administration of Work Safety, said on Tuesday.