JINAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- An initial investigation into last month`s deadly coal mine fire that claimed 31 lives in east China`s Shandong Province has revealed that an uncertified air compression device was to blame, according to local authorities.
A total of 91 people were working underground in Fangbei Coal Mine in Xuecheng District, Zaozhuang City, on July 6 when an air compression device located 255 meters underground caught fire.
Twenty-eight of the miners failed to escape and died. Three rescuers were also killed.
A further probe into the cause of the accident is underway.
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT
Li Yancheng, the second-hand dealer who sold the air compression device to the mine, has been in police custody since the accident.
According to China`s criminal law, it`s illegal to sell such devices without them being certified.
Zhou Ping, Li`s wife, told Xinhua that her husband sold the device to Wang Shaoping, head of the Fangbei Coal Mine, for 42,000 yuan (6,573 U.S. dollars) in 2009.
Without a nameplate, security certificate, and flame-proof certification, the device was bought by the mechanical and electrical department of the mine, said Wang Dongliang, an employee with the coal mine.
The device was installed and put into operation in June after Wang Shaoping had an employee forge relevant certificates to make it seem legitimate.
"Wang Shaoping knew the device was second-hand when he bought it. We did not learn that Wang used the device in the coal mine until the accident happened," said an emotional Zhou.
Wang realized the risks of using the uncertified air compression device, according to local police.
Properly functioning air compression devices will shut down automatically when if they heat up too much. In this case, this did not happen nor was there anyone near the device to monitor it, said the police.
Earlier this month, police detained eight people in connection with the fire -- including Wang Shaoping and Li Yancheng.
SIMILAR RISKS EXIST
At the same second-hand market where Wang purchased the air compression device, plenty of used mining equipment can still be found.
Some sellers are busy polishing and spray painting devices making the used equipment look like new.
"More than 30 factories are engaged in recycling and selling used equipment," said Bian Yubao, director of the management committee of the market.
"Some of the used equipment is sold as scrap steel while some of it is bought by near coal mines for reuse," Bian said.
The Chinese government has closed thousands of small mines in recent years in a bid to improve safety and efficiency, which has resulted in huge amounts of used equipment flooding into such second-hand markets.
Without efficient supervision and control, the outer appearance of some uncertified used equipment has been renovated for sale on some second-hand markets despite it does not meet the standards of safety production. This has brought potential dangers to the coal mine production.
More such second-hand mining equipment markets in China are in dire need of detection and supervision.
Relevant laws and regulations on mining equipment access to production cycle ought to be issued and implemented to avoid similar accidents, said Jiang Daming, governor of Shandong Province.