cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53734242

Anger is growing over alleged safety violations in the wake of China's worst mining disaster in more than 15 years.

At least 82 people were killed and more than 120 injured after an explosion on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, the heart of China's huge mining industry.

For many in China, the tragedy harks back to the 2000s, a period of regular, deadly coal mining disasters, which is widely thought to have been left in the past.

Those concerns are now reignited and playing out on China's tightly-controlled internet, with people calling for justice and questioning how this happened: "It's so heartbreaking, so many precious lives lost. When will we truly put safety first?"

Authorities say the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, but initial findings show Tongzhou Group, the company operating the privately-owned coal mine had committed "serious illegal violations".

[...]

Reports claim that some workers did not bring mandatory tracking devices into the mines, and blueprints provided by the Liushenyu coal mine to authorities did not match the conditions at the mine, complicating rescue efforts.

State media also reported that the number of people in the mine at the time of the explosion was double that listed in the company's official count.

"Why are there more than 100 unregistered workers appearing out of the blue?" a Weibo user questioned. "Was it to exceed production limits? To reduce costs? Or to conceal the number of workers during an accident?"

[...]

"This incident not only exposes the superficiality of local daily supervision and the low cost of violations, leading to repeated violations by the company," another Weibo user wrote.

[...]

A man who hasn't been able to contact his brother since the blast told AFP he did not dare to tell his parents that his brother was missing. He also said he wasn't sure what to believe.

"They say two people are missing, but who knows if that's accurate? We honestly don't know."

Addition: List of coal mining accidents in China