Accident at state-owned coal mine in China's Guizhou province kills 16 people

Sixteen people were killed in a coal mine disaster in Panzhou, Guizhou province, on Sunday, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday by the mine’s owner, Guizhou Panjiang Refined Coal Co.

According to Shanghai-based commodities consultancy Mysteel, all coal mines in Panzhou city have suspended production for one day. The mining safety authority in Guizhou told Reuters it has no knowledge on the matter.

According to Mysteel, the area has a total production capacity of roughly 52.5 million metric tonnes per year of primarily coking coal, or about 5% of China’s coking coal production capacity.

According to the exchange filing, the state-owned business, also known as Panjiang Coal, has ordered safety inspections at all of its mines and has taken measures to ensure safe production.

The firm owns and runs seven coal mines with a combined capacity of about 17.3 million tonnes. According to Mysteel, the mine where the disaster occurred had an annual capacity of 3.1 million tonnes.

The catastrophe comes after a series of similar occurrences in the country’s coal mines, including a February collapse at an open-pit mine in the Inner Mongolia area that killed 53 people.

Authorities have outlined steps to improve sector safety, including limits on smaller miners and plans to increase the use of underground automation.